Stay connected with local messaging apps, curated for travelers visiting Australia.
WhatsApp is useful in Australia, especially for international contacts, tour operators and some accommodation hosts, but it is not a universal business channel.
Useful for some hosts, guides and international contacts, but Australian businesses also rely heavily on calls, SMS and email.
Australian providers commonly use ordinary calls, SMS, email, their booking portal or the chat inside Uber, Airbnb and delivery apps. The Australian Communications and Media Authority reported that 28% of adults used WhatsApp several times a day during 2025, with a clear difference between metropolitan and regional use. That makes it worth keeping if you already use it, not a mandatory download for every traveler. Ask each hotel, guide or rental company how it will contact you and retain access to the phone number used for bookings and two-factor authentication.
A data-only connection can leave you unable to receive an ordinary call or SMS, including a bank verification code or a driver's message. Save the provider's direct number and your booking reference offline before a remote journey. Treat unexpected WhatsApp and SMS requests for money, card details, one-time codes or a changed payment account as suspicious. Australian authorities warn about impersonation and family-emergency messages.
Verify any request through a number or booking channel you obtained independently. Emergency services are not reached through WhatsApp. Call Triple Zero (000), or 112 from a mobile, when police, fire or ambulance help is urgently needed.
No single messaging app stands out for visitors in Australia. The guidance above explains what to try and what to do when it does not work.
Bento recommends one messaging app in Australia, checked in 2026.
These apps need data
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