is the correct one. Messenger is all that you would need for personal calls/chats.

I believe that WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, and works with their messenger app as well as independently.

If you download something and you don’t like it or it’s not the right one you can always delete it.

Use Messenger. It is the texting app that is the most secure. Every message is encrypted.
You have more privacy. Why share your texting with FaceBook?

Downloaded it, have no idea how to use it, will let them initiate..

I downloaded my first app for it in November.

Until my flip phone died and I didn't have any choice. I now adore my iPhone. The only serious problem is I depend on it too much. I'm perfectly comfortable reading a book on it. I prefer it for Zoom calls. I can watch Youtubes in my back yard. I listen to Stephanie Miller on it. The sound playing music is great. I have an interval timer for exercising. It tells me how to get places (has only failed me with one address). I could not live without this thing.

But recently texting has been too complicated with the flip phone and... spouse is going to have a major surgery - next year, when elective ones will start - and with no family or friends close by, I thought that I need it.

on a phone. I spend enough time on my desktop as it is. It is getting where you almost are being forced to get one for so many things that I might have to give in......I hope not.

....is it only on iPhone?

I use Whatsapp on both iPhone and macOS. I'm sure it's also on Android and Windows.

I find that I can still touch type much faster on a real keyboard. So I'll often start/respond to a chat on the phone, but then (if it's not really a short dialog), move to my Mac rather than polish my (terrible) text thumbing skills.

Ditto for Apple's Facetime and Messages (aka iMessage). You can chat/text on both/either the iPhone and the Mac.

Ditto for Skype and Telegram

Desktop, laptop, iPad?

MacOS is the operating system for all the Apple Macs (desktop, laptop, mac mini). iOS runs on the iPhones. And iPadOS runs on the iPads (but is very similar to iOS). Whatsapp runs on all of them

I just use them.

Before purchasing the iPhone I was told that I should be able to use whatspp on my iPad but then realized that I needed a phone number for it.

Yes, it's a little complicated! Typically you use Whatsapp on your phone.

But for Macs and Windows machines, there's a Whatsapp desktop app that you can use .. in tandem with your phone ... to share your Whatsapp account. Basically you can use Whatsapp on your phone and tell it to share your chats/account with your computer. After that your computer just needs to have normal network access.

And ... the story with iPads gets a little more complicated. When you buy an iPad you can opt for one with cellular service. So Whatsapp "should" work. Except it doesn't because Whatsapp (now owned by Facebook) doesn't support it.

But on an iPad, you can use the iPad's web browser to go to whatsapp.com and share your Whatsapp account/chats that way. It's a little complicated. Instructions here .... https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/11251625/how-to-get-whatsapp-on-ipad/

The browser approach doesn't work as well as a real app, but I guess it's better than nothing.

There are rumors of iPad support getting better, but they're just rumors for now.

Hope this helps

You want the WhatsApp Messenger

In addition, I recommend the map app called What3words. its a way to accurate show your location in English. It works with your main maps.

Next, get a skilled iPhone user to turn off as many "Notifications" and "Cell phone data usage" as possible. These drain your battery.

Lastly, you may need additional phone chargers and a case.

On top of it. Case is next.

beginner's guide and it showed me how to install it. Already called one contact. Don't have any photos or videos but at least they should be able to.

Not sure about all the "allow" but I suppose I should.

Did this save 2020? Not sure