"But WhatsApp had quietly launched a different sort of platform tool late last year. It is a simple hook that other companies can include in their own apps to help users share content to WhatsApp. This is just like the Facebook and Twitter buttons that are liberally sprinkled on content sites all over the Web. The difference is, sharing through WhatsApp is essentially private. When users click on the share-to-WhatsApp button, they are presented with a list of their contacts and groups so they can message them directly. Especially when users are on their phones, this may be simpler or easier than emailing, texting or instant messaging an article or a photo. Early testers of the WhatsApp share button included BuzzFeed and Shazam. In fact, BuzzFeed is already seeing more shares to WhatsApp than to Twitter on iOS, the company told Re/code." - × × ×