Page 256 - The Digital Financial Services (DFS) Ecosystem

ITU-T Focus Group Digital Financial Services
Ecosystem

2.3 Mobile access

Mobile users primarily access social networks through smartphone apps which offer the richest experience.
Some social networks also provide Java apps for feature phones and mobile browser access.

Feature phone Java apps have a significant drawback – they lack push notification capabilities. A push notification
displays information on a mobile device even when the relevant application is not running (e.g., a chat message
pops up even though the user is logged out of Facebook Messenger). This functionality gap reduces the social
network value proposition as a communication platform for receiving calls and sending messages.

Figure 4 – Types of apps
Smartphone app Feature phone Java app Mobile browser

All major social networks provide iOS and Android smartphone apps. Support for other platforms varies.

Table 1 – Characteristics of apps

Smartphone apps Mobile Feature phone Basic phone
Google Microsoft
Apple iOS Android Windows browser Java apps SMS

Facebook     Any Java phone –

Facebook    * Certain Nokia –
Messenger Asha phones

WhatsApp   – – ** –
WeChat    – Certain Nokia –
phones
LINE    – Nokia Asha –

Snapchat   – – – –

Twitter ***     Nokia phones 

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