Well, Facebook, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and now Whatsapp. I really can’t stand using an app that has ads. I really really could use them if they weren’t so intrusive or annoying, Whatsapp it’s the only META app that I’m still using due my close relations do use it.
Which App do you use to chat with your closest people? You simple don’t? Or you use another medium to get in touch? I always can make a call to my relatives, but there are people, like my gf, which I need to communicate in more than one way, send audios, photos, videos, etc. Every reply it’s appreciate it.
Signal for those who have it and SMS for everyone else
Another vote for signal
Signal, mostly because I value my privacy though.
- Signal
- SimpleX
As side note. Simplex is the future but not quite mainstream ready. It works phone as phone app. If you want full range ir desktop. Might be best to go with signal for now. Hopefully their desktop apps are fixed next year.
Signal is decent privacy wise but they still can tell the feds who you are cheating with the time stamps. So not the best long term solution.
From my understanding on the signal protocol, the only thing they can check is your last log in. So not really who you messaged.
The downside of signal is that it is centralized.
You are using their servers. They have your phone number.
Signal. It’s in the perfect middle ground of security and usability. Security enthusiasts will tell you it isn’t good enough. It’s fine, and it’s certainly better than Facebook Messenger.
I’ve wrangled over this very question for years. I’ve looked at all the research, I’ve read all of the articles and I’ve witnessed all of the armchair security ‘experts’ make their claims one way or the other. I got so exhausted bouncing back and forth between a dozen screamed opinions, I walked away. In the end, I decided to go with Signal and it has served my needs for a secure and private instant messenger with no ads or shady crypto-scams without fail.
I use Signal, and I’ve read that Session and Teleguard are also good alternatives.
Telegram is not a good alternative at all unless you are looking for socia media experience. I am they will get ads to eventually. It Russian corporate slop, same as American but with a different daddy in charge
Teleguard, not Telegram.
Noted
Teleguard, not Telegram
I feel like Delta Chat should be mentioned here as a secure, decentralized and pretty awesome alternative.
It also allows to communicate with non-delta chat users via email through the same chat interface
WhatsApp like app is Signal. Other ones are better in terms of privacy but you have to convince contacts to use that, so….
Olvid, for people close to me. Signal for strangers.
I’m self hosting a Matrix-server (Synapse + Element) plus a few bridges to Signal, Whatsapp etc. Works great!
I was just about to ask this, so thanks, OP, and thanks, answer-givers.
Snikket.org Open Source, real End-to-end encryption (OMEMO), and you can use other clients if you don’t like theirs. You can also self-host.
When I quit meta, I wanted people to use signal, but my dad refused to move to another app. We just talk via sms now. My wife and her family overseas are on Line, which is kind of like a Japanese whatsapp (maybe closer to WeChat). It has e2e encryption but it could be the same story with WhatsApp where you don’t really know if they’re reading your messages or not
