> Mobile devices matter because they cannot maintain persistent connections.
This isn't really a property of the device. It's an OS limitation. Nokia Series 60 didn't have a platform push service, so WhatsApp had to maintain a connection from the app to the servers to get messages without delay; it was not unusual to find Series 60 phones connected for 30+ days when I worked at WhatsApp. The newest versions of Nokia Series 40 had push, but older versions had to long-connect as well. Some mobile networks aren't great at letting connections work for longer times either, but some can.
But yeah, Apple only lets Apple keep connections open. Android doesn't have hard and fast rules, but background connections are likely to die, you should use push if you can. The push services connection is going to try to stay connected for a long time though.
This isn't really a property of the device. It's an OS limitation. Nokia Series 60 didn't have a platform push service, so WhatsApp had to maintain a connection from the app to the servers to get messages without delay; it was not unusual to find Series 60 phones connected for 30+ days when I worked at WhatsApp. The newest versions of Nokia Series 40 had push, but older versions had to long-connect as well. Some mobile networks aren't great at letting connections work for longer times either, but some can.
But yeah, Apple only lets Apple keep connections open. Android doesn't have hard and fast rules, but background connections are likely to die, you should use push if you can. The push services connection is going to try to stay connected for a long time though.
reply