Alternatives to WhatsApp
Despite record numbers of active accounts, there has been a pronounced downward trend in the usage of Facebook in recent years across developed nations.
This may be due to a range of factors including a stale interface, over-familiarity, or public migration towards encrypted messaging platforms rather than traditional social media sites.
Facebook has also suffered a number of privacy own goals, most notably the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Indeed, many regular users of WhatsApp and Instagram (both owned by Mark Zuckerberg) would be squeamish using the parent platform but are quite happy with its subsidiaries.
As such, the recent decision by WhatsApp to force users to share all their data with Facebook as part of an updated terms of use policy represented another unnecessary OG.
Millions of people have registered their disdain by moving to rival platforms.
In the first three weeks of January following this announcement, an estimated 7.5 million new users signed up to Signal, with 25 million registering Telegram accounts.
Over the same three-week period, WhatsApp fell from being the eighth-most downloaded app in the UK to the 23rd.
The damage has not been rectified by Facebook promising to delay the rollout of the new terms, or running a campaign to explain why they’re making these changes.
Indeed, to seasoned Facebook-watchers, this resembles the latest example of the social media giant’s laissez-faire attitude to customers.
So what do the main alternatives to WhatsApp offer in terms of messaging? And is it worth ditching the latter in favour of a ‘new’ messaging platform?
Telegram
Despite only offering end-to-end encryption for selected ‘secret chats’, Telegram boasts the largest user base outside WhatsApp, so you’re more likely to find people you know here.
It can be used with a VPN, while the interface and two green ticks on read messages is very familiar. It can support groups of up to 200,000, with a handy Instant View option for webpages.
Signal
Unlike Telegram, every Signal conversation is automatically end-to-end encrypted. It’s also open source software with code on GitHub, which will appeal to Linux and WordPress fans.
It doesn’t log IP addresses, but it does require a phone number to register an account. However, it supports disappearing messages with a reassuringly straightforward interface.
Wickr
If the thought of your user data being shared with Facebook sends a chill down the spine, Wickr’s military-grade encryption technology will be welcome.
It’s clearly more of a corporate-oriented platform than a consumer-facing one, but it’s hard to argue with a messaging platform designed by a team of cybersecurity experts.
Discord
Having evolved from a gaming chat platform, Discord now positions itself as one of the main alternatives to WhatsApp, as well as offering functionality to rival the likes of Slack.
Its private messaging feature can support group chats with ten people, private messaging, calls and file sharing – all without having to share your phone number or your real name.
Text messages
Remember texts? The former staple of one-to-one communications is still widely used, especially by companies and people over the age of 35.
SMS messaging might not be as advanced as today’s encrypted messaging platforms, but you won’t be sharing a wealth of personally identifiable information with major corporations.
Information is stored locally on your device, and today’s SMS can support emoji, photo or video attachments, and even read receipts.
Since messaging services are installed on every smartphone, and every handset can receive them, texting represents a pleasingly dependable WhatsApp alternative…