Daily Tribune‘Consumers want conversations with brands, and businesses are investing in omnichannel engagement strategies that go beyond SMS and email.’
MESSAGING apps are becoming the preferred way for Filipinos to interact with brands, with Viber retaining its lead and WhatsApp posting triple-digit growth.
PHOTOGRAPH courtesy of Infobip
Filipino consumers are increasingly interacting with businesses through messaging apps, with Viber maintaining its dominance and WhatsApp recording explosive growth, according to Infobip's Messaging Trends Report 2026.
Based on 628 billion mobile interactions in 2025 and a 20-year analysis of 3.8 trillion messages, the report found total customer interactions on Infobip's Philippine platform grew 19 percent year on year.
Mobile messaging apps posted the biggest jump at 139 percent. Viber grew 47 percent to remain the country's leading business messaging platform, while WhatsApp surged 1,416 percent, reflecting its rapidly expanding role in customer communications.
Traditional channels continue to hold their ground, with SMS increasing 14 percent, MMS 15 percent and email 5 percent. Other chat applications also climbed 1,014 percent, signaling that brands are diversifying how they engage consumers.
"The Philippines has always been a mobile-first market, and what we're seeing now is the next evolution of that," said Guray Ozturk, head of customer growth APAC at Infobip. "Consumers want conversations with brands, and businesses are investing in omnichannel engagement strategies that go beyond SMS and email."
