---
title: "WhatsApp vs Instagram DMs: Which Books More Calls?"
slug: whatsapp-vs-instagram-dms
author: "Leonardo Maldonado"
category: "Channels"
articleType: comparison
tags: ["WhatsApp or Instagram for coaches","best DM channel for coaches","WhatsApp vs Instagram for business","WhatsApp Business API pricing"]
publishedAt: 2026-08-08T09:00:00.000Z
updatedAt: 2026-08-13T09:00:00.000Z
canonical: https://setluca.com/blog/whatsapp-vs-instagram-dms
---# WhatsApp vs Instagram DMs: Which Books More Calls?

> For most coaches, Instagram DMs win on discovery and cost nothing to send. WhatsApp wins on open rates and reply speed once someone opts in, but Meta has billed the WhatsApp Business Platform per message since July 2025. Catch leads on Instagram, move warm ones to WhatsApp.

## Key takeaways

- Instagram = reach; WhatsApp = intimacy. Instagram is discovery-led. WhatsApp is opt-in and high-intent.
- Instagram DMs are free; WhatsApp isn't. Meta moved the WhatsApp Business Platform to per-message pricing on July 1, 2025, with rates set by template category and market.
- Both post strong open rates. WhatsApp is reported around 98%, Instagram DM automation around 90%, versus roughly 20% for email.
- Both have a 24-hour clock. WhatsApp restricts you to approved templates outside it. Instagram's API window extends to seven days with a human agent tag.
- You don't have to choose. A multi-channel DM strategy for coaches lets each channel do what it's best at.

---

Deciding **WhatsApp vs Instagram DMs** usually comes down to one question: which channel actually gets your reply read, and which one books the call? They do different jobs. Instagram is where strangers find you and slide into your DMs. WhatsApp is where leads who gave you their number reply fast and rarely miss a message. What matters is where the lead is in your funnel, who your audience is, and how you handle follow-up.

Every stat below is sourced and dated.

## WhatsApp or Instagram for coaches: how does reach compare?

Instagram wins on cold reach; WhatsApp wins on warm access. Instagram is a discovery engine where content pulls strangers into your DMs. WhatsApp is a contact channel people join deliberately, usually after they already know you. Both are massive, so the difference isn't audience size. It's intent.

Both apps are enormous and both sit around three billion monthly users, so size isn't the thing that separates them. Intent is. The question worth asking is which one a lead is in when they first want something from you.

On Instagram, a stranger can find your Reel, hit follow, and DM you the same afternoon. On WhatsApp, that first touch almost never happens cold. People give you their number because they've decided to talk. If you're filling the top of the pipeline, Instagram does more of that work. Our comparison of the [best DM channel for coaches](/blog/best-dm-channel-for-coaches) runs the same trade-off across four apps.

## WhatsApp vs Instagram for business: which gets opened and answered?

WhatsApp reports the higher open rate of the two, but Instagram DMs aren't far behind, and both beat email badly. High open rates are why coaches close in the DMs at all.

The reported figures put WhatsApp Business messages around 98% opened (Infobip) and Instagram DM automation around 90%, with about 60% replying (Unkoa), against roughly 20% for email on both counts. These come from messaging vendors rather than Meta's own reporting, so read them as a rough shape, not a measurement.

**Chart:** WhatsApp Business messages open at about 98 percent, Instagram DM automation at about 90 percent, and email at about 20 percent. (Source: Infobip (WhatsApp, 2026); Unkoa (Instagram DMs); email baseline per both. Industry-reported, directional. Retrieved 2026-08-07.)

The 8-point gap between the two DM channels is noise next to the gap with email. Reply rate is where the real work happens, and that depends on your follow-up more than the logo at the top of the app.

## What does each channel cost to run?

Instagram DMs cost nothing to send. WhatsApp costs nothing either, until you outgrow the free Business app. Meta moved the WhatsApp Business Platform from conversation-based to per-message pricing on July 1, 2025, and its developer documentation confirms the old allowance of 1,000 free conversations a month is gone.

Three tiers matter. The Business app is free and runs on one number with up to ten linked devices. The Business Platform, which you reach through a provider, sends templates and plugs into software, and it bills per message by category and by your lead's country. Instagram sits outside all of it, with no per-message fee.

What Meta charges for is narrower than most coaches assume. Service conversations became free for every business on November 1, 2024. Anything you type inside an open 24-hour customer service window is free, so are utility templates sent inside it, and so is anything in the 72-hour window that opens after a click-to-WhatsApp ad. Meta charges when a message lands, not when you press send.

| What you send | WhatsApp Business Platform | Instagram DMs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free-form reply inside the 24-hour window | Free | Free |
| Utility template inside the window | Free | Not applicable |
| Utility template outside the window | Charged per message | Not applicable |
| Marketing template, any time | Charged per message | Not applicable |
| Authentication template | Charged, with volume tiers | Not applicable |
| First 72 hours after a click-to-WhatsApp ad | Free | Not applicable |
| Anything sent from the free Business app | Free | Free |

That shape has one consequence: your rescue cadence is the expensive part. A five-touch follow-up to a lead who went quiet four days ago runs entirely outside the window, so on WhatsApp every touch is a billed marketing template. The same nudge on Instagram costs nothing. Read that against [how much an appointment setter costs](/blog/how-much-does-an-appointment-setter-cost).

## Feature matrix: what does each channel actually give you?

WhatsApp's free Business app comes with selling and sorting tools Instagram never built into the inbox, and Meta charges for none of them: a catalog with a cart, labels, quick replies, greeting and away messages, and business broadcasts. Instagram's advantage sits earlier, before the thread starts.

| Capability | WhatsApp Business | Instagram DMs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Product catalog with cart | Yes, in the free app | Shopping lives on posts, not in the thread |
| Labels to sort conversations | Yes | No native labels |
| Quick replies (saved snippets) | Yes | Saved replies |
| Greeting message to first-time contacts | Yes | Instant reply |
| Away message outside your hours | Yes | No away-hours message in the app |
| Broadcast 1:1 to many contacts | Business broadcasts, select countries | No |
| Click-to-chat short link | wa.me link, per number | Profile link only |
| QR code entry point | Yes | Profile QR code |
| Story replies land in the inbox | No stories | Yes, the biggest inbound source |
| Comment-to-DM automation | No comments to work from | Yes |
| Payments inside the thread | Select markets only | No |
| Per-message fees on business sends | Yes, on the Platform | No |

Read the bottom half as the real answer. WhatsApp handles a conversation you already have. Instagram starts one, because comments, story replies, and Reels feed the same inbox. Our guide to [comment-to-DM automation](/blog/comment-to-dm-automation) covers that side.

## What is WhatsApp's 24-hour rule, and why does it catch coaches out?

WhatsApp Business runs on a 24-hour messaging window, and it's the day-to-day difference coaches feel most. The clock starts when a customer messages you, or when you send an approved template and they answer it, and it runs out 24 hours later (Enchant's breakdown of Meta's policy). Inside the window you type whatever you like. Outside it you're stuck with pre-approved templates.

The common claim that Instagram has no clock is wrong once you automate. Meta's Messenger Platform policy sets a standard 24-hour messaging window for Messenger and Instagram alike, and the human agent tag lets a business respond manually for up to seven days. Some tags work on Messenger but not the Instagram messaging API. Reply by hand in the app and none of this bites. Let a tool reply for you and it does.

The difference is still real, just smaller than the internet says. Miss a WhatsApp lead by a day and you need an approved template, and you'll pay for it. Miss an Instagram lead by a day and a human agent tag covers you for a week free. See our [WhatsApp 24-hour window](/blog/whatsapp-24-hour-window) explainer.

> This note applies to the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) used by growing businesses, not the basic WhatsApp Business App for solo operators.

## Privacy and encryption: which channel is safer for lead data?

On the raw privacy question WhatsApp is the stronger channel, and for a lead who cares that's the end of it. WhatsApp encrypts personal chats end to end. Meta made end-to-end encryption the default for personal chats and calls on Messenger and Facebook on December 6, 2023, and Instagram DMs weren't part of that announcement.

Business messaging changes the picture, and this is the part vendors skip. Run WhatsApp through the Business Platform and your messages are received and handled by Meta on your behalf, which is not the same thing as the private person-to-person chat the app advertises. Tell leads plainly that a business account is on the other end.

The bigger risk is what you store, not how it travels. A phone number is personal data the moment you write it down. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office is blunt about it: you need a lawful basis for direct marketing, you have to collect information fairly and clearly, and people have "an absolute right to object to or opt out of direct marketing at any time." Three habits follow. Log where each number came from and what the person agreed to. Keep an opt-out a lead can use in one message. Never import a bought or scraped list.

Instagram sidesteps most of this because you never hold the phone number. The thread lives in Meta's app and the lead can mute or block you without you keeping anything, which suits coaches who'd rather not hold personal data at all.

## Where does each channel win, by country and age?

Your market decides this one, not the global picture. Worldwide the two apps are nearly tied: 54.6% of online adults use Instagram monthly and 54.4% use WhatsApp (DataReportal, April 2026, on GWI data). The split only appears when you zoom into a country.

The United States is the clearest example. Half of US adults use Instagram and 32% use WhatsApp, in Pew Research Center's 2025 survey. Asking an American lead for a WhatsApp number asks two-thirds of them to open an app they barely use. In Brazil, India, Mexico, Spain, and much of the Middle East, nobody would think twice about it.

**Chart:** Among US adults, 50 percent use Instagram and 32 percent use WhatsApp, while globally online adults use them almost equally at about 55 percent each. (Sources: Pew Research Center, Social Media Fact Sheet, survey Feb-Jun 2025 (US adults); DataReportal April 2026 Global Statshot citing GWI (online adults worldwide). Retrieved 2026-08-13.)

Age matters too. Younger users in most Western markets name Instagram their favourite platform, while older users lean toward Facebook and WhatsApp (DataReportal, Digital 2026). A business coach selling to 45-year-old founders shouldn't copy a fitness coach selling to 24-year-olds.

## How do you set up the Instagram-to-WhatsApp handoff?

The handoff runs on one thing: a click-to-chat link that opens a WhatsApp thread with you, pre-filled, without the lead saving your number. Meta lists short links and QR codes as free entry points in the Business app, so you don't need the paid Platform.

1. **Switch Instagram to a professional account.** Without it you have no saved replies, no insights, and no API access later.
2. **Pick your WhatsApp tier.** The free Business app covers one number and up to ten linked devices or agents. You only need the Business Platform for templates, multiple seats, or a tool replying for you.
3. **Build the wa.me link.** Format is `https://wa.me/15551234567`, using the full international number in digits only. No plus sign, spaces, dashes, or leading zero. Pre-fill the first message with URL-encoded text: `https://wa.me/15551234567?text=Hi%20Maya`.
4. **Put the link where it converts.** The bio link is the weakest placement, since it catches people who were already going to act. The strong placement is inside the DM reply, after a qualifying question.
5. **Wire the auto-reply to pass the link late.** A story-reply or comment-to-DM trigger should answer first, ask one question, then send the link. Sending it in message one reads as a redirect and kills the thread.
6. **Test from a phone that has never messaged you.** Half of broken handoffs are a plus sign or a leading zero in the number, and you'll only see it from a clean device.

Set a greeting message on the WhatsApp side so new contacts know they're in the right place. [Instagram DM automation for coaches](/blog/instagram-dm-automation-for-coaches) covers the trigger side.

## How do you get a WhatsApp template approved?

Templates are the price you pay for messaging outside the window, and rejections are common enough to plan for. Meta sorts every template into MARKETING, UTILITY, or AUTHENTICATION. Each one you submit gets two checks: first a machine check on whether the category you picked matches what you actually wrote, then a human-style content review. Templates end up APPROVED, REJECTED, or PAUSED.

Meta names the rejection causes directly. `INCORRECT_CATEGORY` and `TAG_CONTENT_MISMATCH` both mean you filed it under the wrong category. Its template guidelines add spelling mistakes, broken variables, and "floating parameters" -- a line holding only `{{3}} - {{4}}` with no words around it, so a reviewer can't tell what will get slotted in. Threatening or shaming language is refused outright, as is cold outreach phrased like "Is now a good time to talk?"

Three habits fix most of it. Wrap every variable in words, so `{{1}}` sits inside "Hi {{1}}, your session on {{2}} is confirmed" rather than alone on a line. Pick the category honestly, because a nudge to book a call is marketing however you dress it. And send sample values with it, since a placeholder that reads clearly to you can look like spam to a reviewer seeing it cold.

## Best DM channel for coaches: which should you use when?

There's no single best DM channel for coaches, only the right channel for a given lead. Use Instagram to get found. Use WhatsApp to run warm, high-intent threads where speed and open rates matter most.

| Situation | Better channel | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cold lead found you via content | Instagram | Discovery-led, easy to DM from a post |
| Warm lead who gave their number | WhatsApp | Opt-in, \~98% open rate, fast replies |
| International audience | WhatsApp | Default messaging app in many regions |
| US creator audience | Instagram | Only 32% of US adults use WhatsApp |
| Multi-touch rescue after four days | Instagram | No template cost, and a 7-day human agent tag |
| Booking confirmations and reminders | WhatsApp | Utility templates are free inside the window |

Three real branches, and you should be able to say which one you're in.

**Run Instagram only if** your audience is mostly US or UK, you handle under roughly 50 real sales conversations a month, and leads arrive from Reels, comments, and story replies. Adding WhatsApp here buys complexity you won't use.

**Run WhatsApp only if** your audience sits in a WhatsApp-default market, or your pipeline is referrals who already have your number. If most first messages read "so-and-so gave me your number," Instagram is a content channel, not a sales inbox.

**Run both if** you're getting inbound from Instagram content and closing tickets above roughly $1,000. Qualify on Instagram, then offer to continue on WhatsApp once they're warm. That handoff is the core of a real [multi-channel DM strategy for coaches](/blog/multi-channel-dm-playbook).

## A worked example: Maya, an online nutrition coach

Maya sells a twelve-week nutrition program at $1,400. Illustrative numbers, but the shape is typical. She gets roughly 260 inbound DMs a month: about 210 on Instagram, most of them story replies, and 50 on WhatsApp from referrals. Her audience splits between the US and Spain, which is why she can't pick one app.

Her handoff looks like this. Anonymized, illustrative.

> **Instagram DM (cold):** "Saw your post on macros for busy moms, this is exactly my problem 😅"**Maya:** "Ha, you're not alone. Quick q, are you tracking anything now or starting fresh?"**Lead:** "Starting fresh. Honestly overwhelmed."**Maya:** "Totally normal. Easiest if I map a plan for you on a quick call. Want me to send details on WhatsApp so nothing gets buried in IG? Drop your number, or tap this: wa.me/..."**Lead:** "Yeah! [number]"

Two things about that exchange. Maya qualifies before she offers the link, so the move reads as convenience rather than a funnel step. And the link is an alternative to handing over a number, so the lead sends the first message and opens the 24-hour window herself. That detail makes the thread free on Maya's side.

Cost logic decides where her follow-up lives. Quiet leads get a five-touch rescue over ten days. On Instagram that costs nothing and stays inside the seven-day human agent tag for the early touches. On WhatsApp it would be five billed marketing templates per lead. So Maya runs rescue on Instagram and keeps WhatsApp for people already booking. Her [DM follow-up sequence](/blog/dm-follow-up-sequence) is identical on both. Only the bill changes.

## Which edge cases do most coaches hit?

Four situations where the clean Instagram-then-WhatsApp story stops being clean.

**The lead hands over a number but never messages you.** You can't open a WhatsApp thread with a free-form message. Your only option is an approved marketing template, billed per message, sent to someone who hasn't shown intent. Prefer the wa.me link so the lead initiates and the window opens free.

**The lead replies at 2am from another timezone.** The 24-hour clock started with their message, not your morning. Draft straight away and approve first thing, rather than waiting for a "good time to send." Late-night threads are safer on Instagram, where nothing expires overnight.

**The person messaging you already bought.** Route them to support, not a sales cadence. On WhatsApp a reply inside the window is a free service message. On Instagram they land in the same inbox as strangers, so label the thread or you'll pitch a client their own program.

**The number has no WhatsApp account.** A landline makes the wa.me link fail with an error the lead reads as your mistake. Keep the Instagram thread open until a WhatsApp message actually lands.

## Troubleshooting: symptom, cause, fix

| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| wa.me link opens WhatsApp but says the number is invalid | Plus sign, dashes, spaces, or leading zero in the link | Use the country code plus digits only |
| WhatsApp follow-up refuses to send | The 24-hour customer service window closed | Send an approved template, or move the nudge to Instagram |
| Template rejected with INCORRECT\_CATEGORY | Content reads as marketing but was filed as utility | Recategorise as Marketing and resubmit unchanged |
| Template rejected with no obvious reason | Floating parameters or a spelling error | Wrap every variable in surrounding text, then proofread |
| WhatsApp bill higher than expected | Rescue touches sending as billed marketing templates | Move the cadence inside the window, or run it on Instagram |
| Instagram leads never move to WhatsApp | The link only exists in your bio | Send the link in the DM, after a qualifying question |
| Automated Instagram replies stop after a day | The standard 24-hour messaging window closed | Reply manually, or use the human agent tag for up to 7 days |
| Number reported and blocked on WhatsApp | Messaging people who never opted in | Stop sending, audit consent records, restart from inbound only |

## What mistakes do coaches make running both channels?

**Treating WhatsApp as free because the app is.** The Platform, which is what you use once a tool replies for you, bills per delivered message and dropped its free conversation allowance in July 2025.

**Asking for the number in the first message.** It reads as a redirect before you've earned anything. Qualify first, offer the link second.

**Using a marketing template as a casual check-in.** "Still thinking it over?" is close to the phrasing Meta's guidelines flag as unsolicited outreach, and templates like it get rejected or reported. Casual nudges belong on Instagram.

**Assuming Instagram has no rules.** The messaging API runs on a 24-hour window with a seven-day human agent tag, and Meta's [DM automation rules](/blog/instagram-dm-automation-rules-2026) apply whether your tool is official or not.

**Importing a contact list into WhatsApp.** No lawful basis, no opt-in, and a fast route to blocks. The ICO's position is that people can object to direct marketing at any time, and WhatsApp users exercise that with the report button.

## One honest limit

Neither channel's open-rate numbers come from Meta's own audited reporting. The 98% and 90% figures come from messaging vendors and marketing platforms, who have an interest in the numbers looking good. Enough sources agree that the ranking is probably right, but don't treat the figures as precise. Your real rates depend on your audience, your offer, and how fast you answer.

The cost picture has a limit too. Meta publishes per-message rate cards by market and category rather than one global price, and those rates move. We haven't quoted a dollar figure because it would be stale by the time you read it, and a wrong number is worse than none. Pull the current rate for your lead's country before you budget a cadence.

There's also a point where neither app is the answer. If your ticket is high enough that a scheduled call is the norm, email with a calendar link will out-convert both. We'd rather say that than talk you into a channel you don't need.

## Where Luca fits

The channel debate mostly disappears when both live in one place. Luca is an AI DM setter that replies across Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger in your voice, qualifies leads, and books calls. Every reply lands in a human review queue by default, so you approve before anything sends. It never denies being AI if a lead asks, which Meta's rules and California's SB 1001 both expect.

That matters for the WhatsApp 24-hour rule especially. Luca tracks the window, flags leads before it closes, and runs rescue cadences so warm threads don't go cold. Since the cost of a WhatsApp touch depends on which side of that window it lands, knowing when the clock runs out is a budgeting decision as much as a compliance one. For the broader case, read the [AI setter for coaches](/ai-setter) guide, or [WhatsApp for coaches](/blog/whatsapp-for-coaches). Compare plans on [Luca's pricing](/pricing) page.


## FAQ

### Which is better for coaches, WhatsApp or Instagram DMs?

Neither is universally better. Instagram wins on discovery, since strangers find you through content and DM you directly. WhatsApp wins on open rates and reply speed once a lead opts in. Most coaches book more calls by using Instagram to start conversations and WhatsApp to close warm ones.

### Is WhatsApp Business free, or does it cost per message?

Both, depending on the version. The WhatsApp Business app is free. The WhatsApp Business Platform has billed per message since July 1, 2025, at rates set by template category and market, with no free conversation allowance. Service messages and replies inside the 24-hour window remain free. Instagram DMs carry no per-message fee.

### What is the WhatsApp 24-hour rule?

Per Meta's policy, the WhatsApp Business messaging window opens when a customer messages you and closes 24 hours later. Inside it, you can send free-form messages. Outside it, you can only send pre-approved templates until the customer replies again. Instagram's messaging API also has a 24-hour window, extendable to seven days with a human agent tag.

### Do WhatsApp and Instagram DMs really get higher open rates than email?

Yes, by a wide margin. Reported open rates run around 98% for WhatsApp Business messages (Infobip) and about 90% for Instagram DM automation (Unkoa), against roughly 20% for email. These come from messaging vendors rather than Meta, so treat them as a rough shape rather than exact.

### Why do WhatsApp message templates get rejected?

Meta's guidelines name specific causes: spelling mistakes, floating parameters like a line containing only two variables and a dash, threatening or shaming language, and category mismatches flagged as INCORRECT_CATEGORY or TAG_CONTENT_MISMATCH. Templates run category validation first, then a content review. Wrapping every variable in surrounding text fixes most rejections.

### Are Instagram DMs encrypted like WhatsApp?

Not identically. Meta made end-to-end encryption the default for personal chats and calls on Messenger and Facebook on December 6, 2023, and Instagram was not part of that announcement. WhatsApp encrypts personal chats, though business messages handled through the Business Platform work differently. Disclose that a business account is replying.

### Should I move all my Instagram leads to WhatsApp?

Only the warm ones. Moving a cold lead to WhatsApp too early feels pushy and can kill the conversation. It also costs you, since business-initiated WhatsApp messages need a billed template. Once a lead shows real intent, offering to continue on WhatsApp keeps the thread from getting buried in a busy Instagram inbox.

### How do I create a WhatsApp click-to-chat link for my Instagram bio?

Use the format https://wa.me/ followed by your full international number in digits only, with no plus sign, spaces, dashes, or leading zero. Add ?text= and URL-encoded text to pre-fill the first message. Meta lists short links and QR codes as free entry points in the WhatsApp Business app.


## Sources

1. [Infobip -- "WhatsApp statistics 2026: Global usage & market overview" (98% WhatsApp open rate vs ~20% email). (retrieved 2026-08-07)](https://www.infobip.com/blog/whatsapp-statistics)
2. [Unkoa -- "Instagram DM Automation vs Email in 2025: Why ManyChat Delivers 90% Open Rates and 60% Reply Rates" (~=90% Instagram DM open rate, ~=60% reply rate vs ~20% email). (retrieved 2026-08-07)](https://www.unkoa.com/instagram-dm-automation-vs-email-in-2025-why-manychat-delivers-90-open-rates-and-60-reply-rates/)
3. [Enchant -- "WhatsApp Business Platform 24 Hour Rule" (window opens/closes, free-form vs template messaging). (retrieved 2026-08-07)](https://www.enchant.com/whatsapp-business-platform-24-hour-rule)
4. [Meta for Developers -- "WhatsApp Business Platform Pricing" (per-message pricing effective July 1, 2025; service conversations free from November 1, 2024; free 24-hour customer service window; 72-hour free entry point; charged on delivery). (retrieved 2026-08-13)](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing/)
5. [Meta for Developers -- "Message Templates" (MARKETING, UTILITY, AUTHENTICATION categories; category validation then template review; APPROVED/PENDING/REJECTED/PAUSED statuses; INCORRECT_CATEGORY and TAG_CONTENT_MISMATCH). (retrieved 2026-08-13)](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/business-management-api/message-templates/)
6. [Meta for Developers -- "Message Template Guidelines" (rejection causes: spelling errors, floating parameters, abusive or threatening language, unsolicited outreach phrasing). (retrieved 2026-08-13)](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/message-templates/guidelines/)
7. [Meta for Developers -- "Messenger Platform Policy Overview" (24-hour standard messaging window; human agent tag up to 7 days; some tags unavailable on the Instagram messaging API). (retrieved 2026-08-13)](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/policy)
8. [WhatsApp Business -- "Business app features" (catalog and cart, labels, quick replies, greeting and away messages, business broadcasts in select countries, QR codes and short links as free entry points, up to 10 linked devices and agents). (retrieved 2026-08-13)](https://whatsappbusiness.com/products/business-app-features/)
9. [Pew Research Center -- "Social Media Fact Sheet," survey conducted Feb 5-Jun 18, 2025 (50% of US adults use Instagram; 32% use WhatsApp). (retrieved 2026-08-13)](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/)
10. [DataReportal -- "Global Social Media Statistics," April 2026 update citing GWI (Instagram 54.6% and WhatsApp 54.4% monthly use among online adults). (retrieved 2026-08-13)](https://datareportal.com/social-media-users)
11. [DataReportal -- "Digital 2026 Global Overview Report," October 2025 (younger users in most Western markets name Instagram their favourite platform; older users lean to Facebook and WhatsApp). (retrieved 2026-08-13)](https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-global-overview-report)
12. [Meta Newsroom -- "Launching Default End-to-End Encryption on Messenger," December 6, 2023 (default E2EE for personal chats and calls on Messenger and Facebook). (retrieved 2026-08-13)](https://about.fb.com/news/2023/12/default-end-to-end-encryption-on-messenger/)
13. [Information Commissioner's Office -- "Direct marketing guidance" (lawful basis required; collect information fairly and clearly; absolute right to object to or opt out of direct marketing at any time). (retrieved 2026-08-13)](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/direct-marketing-guidance/)

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Published by SetLuca, the company behind Luca.