Communication platforms on mobile phones are widely used by Czechs, most often WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

We often spend tens of minutes each day sending messages via mobile. It's no surprise. After smartphones in conjunction with fast mobile networks became a catalyst for further internet expansion, the number of users is growing.

Interest in mobile internet is strengthening

Currently, there are roughly 7.2 million Czechs using mobile internet. More than ten years ago, there were only about 3 million. Nowadays, mostly only some senior households remain without internet connection to a greater extent.

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“While nearly everyone in the younger and middle generations uses the internet on their mobile, and even in the age group 55 to 74, 75 percent were using it in 2025, among seniors above 75 it was only a quarter,”

explained the director of the Development Statistics Department of the Czech Statistical Office, Martin Mana, in a press release.

The Czech Republic can thus boast a significantly higher proportion of people with basic and advanced digital skills compared to the European Union average. Statisticians claim that among people aged 16 to 74, 70 percent have at least basic digital skills. In the EU countries, the average is 60 percent.

Communication platforms for corporate life are also a given. The Czech Statistical Office found that large companies with 250 or more employees use digital technologies more often. However, according to the survey, the main reason we use a particular communication platform remains primarily our family and friends.

WhatsApp is used by almost 90 percent of us

The most popular communication platform in the Czech Republic is currently WhatsApp, which is used by 89 percent of Czechs according to a survey by the Ipsos agency. Fairly frequently, in nearly 80 percent of cases, Facebook Messenger is also represented. At the top of the most-used communication apps chart, Instagram and the iMessage app, which is designed for users of devices with Apple's iOS platform, also appear. Ten percent of respondents confirmed that they use the Telegram platform.

The survey also highlighted differences for platforms like Discord and Snapchat. While people aged 31 and older use these platforms only marginally, this does not hold true for the youngest users. Discord is used as a communication tool by one fifth of people aged 18 to 30, and Snapchat by nearly a quarter of this age group.

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Safety First

It is not a big surprise that people in the Czech Republic choose WhatsApp for communication the most.

"This application has long been regarded as one of the safer options for communication, thanks to its strong encryption and the range of security tools it continues to expand. For instance, in January this year, Meta introduced new ‘strict account settings,’ which, once enabled, automatically block media and attachments from unknown senders, mute calls from unknown numbers, disable link previews, and activate restrictions on messages from unknown contacts. Cyber frauds, which often target Czech users directly, are something that continues to plague this platform and, in contrast to its popularity, represent a risk,"

claims cybersecurity analyst at the Prague research branch of ESET, Ondřej Novotný, and adds:

“On one side, we have communication platforms that function more like a classic phone directory. The people we communicate with are mostly those we know in some way, and if a stranger contacts us, the platform labels them. Typical examples of this are WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. On the other side, we have Discord and Snapchat, which are platforms far more open to communication with unknown people. They resemble social networks more and, as a result, face greater risks from social engineering attacks, typically phishing.”

The source of fraudulent messages with dangerous links can also be so-called channels, which are already used for communication within communities or for subscribing to news from various thematic profiles directly on the communication platform. More than a quarter of respondents are currently following some type of channel. These are mainly people aged 18 to 30. In contrast, two-fifths of people said they do not use channel subscriptions and don't plan to.

Communication platforms are used even more frequently in Slovakia, at least according to last year's report from the Central European Digital Media Observatory CEDMO. The fundamental difference between the two countries, however, lies in their approach to privacy protection, as stated by the portal Mediaguru. While 43 percent of Czechs, according to this source, declared that they have specified post visibility for specific contacts or groups, for Slovaks it was only 8 percent. Another 28 percent of respondents from Slovakia, for example, didn't know their visibility settings at all. In the Czech Republic, only 10 percent of survey participants confirmed the same.

Sources: original article, Eset, ČSÚ, ČTK, Mediaguru