Over the years, the number of apps on the play store that seem exactly like a copy of WhatsApp has increased. Needless to say, this made absolutely no difference to the reputation that WhatsApp has.
No matter the number of similar apps that exist, people somehow seem to rely on the original one. But it is also clearly evident that designers are getting a little too lazy to come up with new creative designs.
It is surprising to see such a tech-giant like Jio repeating the same mistakes again. Let us dive deep into this issue and look at it from a new perspective.
Is This The First Time?
As surprising as it may seem, this is not the first time that Jio is trying to make a replica of an existing app.
Due to the pandemic, the entire world is now sticking on to virtual conferences and meetings. Jio tried to get the most out of this new-born market and tried making its own teleconferencing app.
It made it to the play store recently with the name “JioMeet”. There were a lot of criticisms on the company for making an app that looked exactly like Zoom.
Zoom was already pretty popular and it still continues to be even after JioMeet came into the scene.
JioChat – Copy Of WhatsApp
With an ongoing controversy on JioMeet, the company decided to launch JioChat. Almost everyone could instantly confirm that it is an exact copy of WhatsApp with a few tiny changes at random places.
This act of Jio is what most people prefer to call “blatant”. The designers even decided to go with the exact same colour scheme and layout.
You can place two phones next to each other with one running JioChat and the other running WhatsApp. You will hardly notice any differences unless you force yourself to find one.
Background Behind The Copy Of WhatsApp
It is okay for a tech noob to experiment with WhatsApp’s design. But a market leader like Jio should have concentrated more on making their app look new and fresh.
The reasons for choosing the same layout and design is still unclear. Maybe the company realized that there is no winning the position that WhatsApp has in the market and the only mode of survival is to co-exist.
People might feel familiar while using this, but there is no way for JioChat to replace WhatsApp in its current form.
There have been several questions on Jio for not putting in enough investments in their designs.
Conclusion
WhatsApp never made any major changes to its design and colour scheme as it seems to remain pretty much the same right from its early stages.
This is purely intentional. Its goal is to maintain the identity and to leave a strong footprint on the hearts of the audience.
It is one of the major reasons for WhatsApp being so popular. Jio, being a billion-dollar company, still wouldn’t stand a chance against WhatsApp unless they come up with something interesting.
