Back in May 2013, when Nokia released its low end wonder – the Asha 501, we all were promised that the phone would be getting the much sought after Messaging app WhatsApp. Even after months of waiting, that version never came. It was then with surprise that I saw an email from Nokia today morning announcing that WhatsApp will finally arrive for the Asha 501 starting November 21, 2013.
When we reviewed the Asha 501 a few months ago, we had seen the presence of WhatsApp’s competitor WeChat already available on the platform. But WhatsApp still being the most used messaging client was conspicuous by its absence. Anyway, now that is is finally arrived on the device, users can go ahead and check for a small software update that would let them install WhatsApp on their 501’s.
WhatsApp for the Asha 501 has been designed keeping in mind the swipe friendly UI of the Asha UI. The much touted Fastlane experience continues with WhatsApp as well. In case you are buying a new Asha 501 post December 5, it is likely to come pre-installed with the phone. Nokia will also issue an over-the-air update for those who already have the Asha 501.
WhatsApp is amongst the worlds largest messaging clients and boasts of over 350 million active users. and over 250,000 users are registering for WhatsApp using Nokia devices each day.
We hope to get hold of an Asha 501 soon to give you a detailed review of the software on the device. Watch this space!
