This change led to a rapid decline in the use of traditional telephone services such as voice calls and text messaging.
The number of online messages sent in the UK has soared from around 100 billion a year in 2012 to more than 1.3 trillion last year.
Over the same period, the total number of SMS and MMS messages sent in the UK fell from a peak of 151 billion a year to just 36 billion in 2022.
The ability to make voice and video calls on mobile apps also means that many people are no longer calling their trusted landline.
A total of 32 billion minutes of calls were made from landlines in 2022, down from 103 billion minutes a decade ago.
Mobile talk time jumped to a peak of nearly 190 billion in 2020 due to a temporary increase during the pandemic, but has since declined.
Users cite the ability to send photos, videos, and voice messages without incurring additional charges as the main reason they like the app. They also pointed to a feature that lets you see if your message recipients have received and seen your message.
CCS Insight analyst Kester Mann said the “ship has sailed” for SMS, with the market currently dominated by apps such as WhatsApp. But he said online services have a long way to go before they overtake traditional phone calls.
Mann added: “Online apps offer features such as video and group calling, and some are experiencing solid growth at the expense of traditional keypads.
“However, traditional voice calling services remain the go-to for the vast majority of customers, and this is unlikely to change for some time.”
Ofcom’s research also highlights Mark Zuckerberg’s meta dominance over the UK instant messaging market.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is used by 76% of UK adults, making it the most popular app in the country. Messenger and Instagram Direct Messenger are both owned by Meta and are the second and his third most popular respectively.
Ofcom said Meta’s dominant position and large user base could prevent small businesses from entering the market and reduce competition.
However, the regulator concluded that “to date, the results have been largely positive for users and there is little evidence of significant harm due to competition issues.”