The KaiOS app was first available on India's JioPhone in September 2018.

The smartphone-oriented chat app is already a dominant platform with over 1.5 billion users around the world. This, however, could fill an important gap. There are still many people who can't afford smartphones or just don't care for them. The new WhatsApp client could help them connect not just to friends and family who are already on the platform, but stores, services and job opportunities. Although this won't be reassuring to people worried that Facebook has too much power, it could help level the playing field for people who can't justify a more expensive handset.