4w ago

What chat app do you recommend? DeMETAing

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.

41 comments

Signal for those who have it and SMS for everyone else
- Another vote for signal
- Would rather use WhatsApp then SMS. Its much more secure and private and doesn't cost money. Although if RCS is an option it could be used instead of SMS or WhatsApp.
  
  How private can WhatsApp be if Meta owns it?
  
  if RCS is an option it could be used
  Generally when people say "I use SMS" they mean "SMS, MMS, and RCS".
  
  You still pay for SMS? Do you not get a ridiculous amount bundled into your plan?
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.
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.
  
  Teleguard, not Telegram
- Teleguard defenitly not they are closed source.
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
- It also allows to communicate with non-delta chat users via email through the same chat interface
  That's a disadvantage. Messengers should only allow secure encrypted chats!
  
  Kind of a fair point though I think users should be able to make that choice for themselves. If they do not want that, they can just not use it - the app clearly shows whether chats are encrypted or not and I'm pretty sure you could also disable the plain-email feature.
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.
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
I was just about to ask this, so thanks, OP, and thanks, answer-givers.

41 comments