WhatsApp is currently the most popular chatting app in the world, with roughly 2 billion users. The app allows people to text and send photos, music, and documents to each other with relative ease through the internet without spending money to buy messages. One can even make calls through the app and even video calls.
The app became so popular that Facebook could not pass up the opportunity to acquire it. The acquisition further bolstered the app’s popularity until recently, when the social media giant rolled out new changes that may encourage many users to pursue alternative messaging apps.
Why many people might no longer be comfortable using WhatsApp
Facebook rolled out a new privacy policy update in January 2021, which received a lot of backlash because users have no option to accept the policy if they want to continue using the app. This is usually not a problem, but the requirement means users have to allow Facebook to collect and even share their private data on the app. This includes sensitive private information such as the user’s IP address and mobile device information.
Facebook might use such data to determine who you interact with via WhatsApp, places you often visit, how you spend money, or the groups in which you are most active. The social media giant will likely use some of your sensitive information for more aggressive advertising.
WhatsApp alternatives to consider
Facebook’s decision to coerce people into its new private policy seems to be causing uncomfortable friction among users. Many have expressed disappointment and concern to the point where they are willing to use an alternative online messaging app. Fortunately, there is no shortage of such apps that provide similar features to what users get from WhatsApp. Here are some good examples that might be good for you.
Signal
It is currently one of the most secure messaging apps out there, thanks to end-to-end encryption. This is an important aspect, especially for anyone concerned about privacy. The fact that Signal also happens to be open-source is also a big win in the fight against privacy breaches. Its open-source nature means its code is publicly available for viewing. This is a great way to make sure that there are no loopholes or backdoors that hackers and government organizations can take advantage of to access private information. (Source: Techradar).
Signal’s impressive attributes have earned its recognition and recommendation by Edward Snowden, who is popularly known for exposing the NSA’s anti-privacy practices. The messaging app is free and is available for both Android and iOS.
Telegram
It has been around since 2013 and has been gradually gaining traction with roughly 500 million subscribers by December 2020. The app has heavily delivered on its messages thanks to end-to-end encryption and courtesy of a feature that erases messages over time. The feature can be activated or deactivated depending on user preferences. Another major advantage to Telegram is that it is a multi-platform service available for Android and iOS. There is also a PC version of the app. (Source: TechCrunch).
Telegram is user-friendly and free, but more importantly, it respects user privacy. The platform plans to roll out a monetization strategy through a new ad platform that will target public one-to-many channels and not plan to advertise on one-to-one channels.
Skype
It is another messaging platform that has been around for a long time. Skype offers calls, messaging, and video call capabilities. It is quite popular among professionals thanks to clear audio, and one can also secure an international number. Microsoft owns the platform, but it is available on multiple operating systems, including Windows, iOS, Android, and web.
Skype’s ownership led to deep integration into Microsoft’s email offerings, making it ideal for professionals who use Windows. One of the major benefits is that one can send large files via Skype, unlike many other messaging services, which have a low limit on file size. Unfortunately, users who want extra features such as disappearing messages might be disappointed.
Viber
Viber is another messaging platform that has been available for years while offering similar services to those offered by WhatsApp. You can thus use the platform to send messages, make audio and video calls for free. It allows people make calls to international phone numbers at affordable prices. This might be ideal where you might be in a foreign country, but you want to keep in touch with people in your home village who do not have reliable internet access but are connected via mobile networks.
The platform is highly secure thanks to end-to-end encryption to eliminate privacy concerns for users. Viber also happens to be quite similar to WhatsApp as far as the layout is concerned. This might be an advantage for anyone who wants to switch without learning how to use a new platform, thanks to the similarities. Viber offers other interesting features such as Viber games and a sticker store.
Snapchat
It took the world by storm not just as a messaging platform but a social media platform that has earned a positive reputation for being innovative. Snapchat was the first to introduce many features such as Disappearing messages and Stories, which were later copied by other platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
Snapchat’s interesting features are the reason for its popularity. Although it offers messaging and video call services, it is the social platform features that excite its users. For example, it provides mask filters that people can have fun with on the Stories segment.
Snapchat is not the most intuitive messaging platform, but it is definitely the ideal platform for social media savvy individuals that want to access the best that it has to offer. Especially individuals who like to have fun with the unique and interesting features that Snapchat delivers regularly. The fact that it offers all that on top of features similar to those available on WhatsApp makes it an appealing alternative.
