Preferred Messaging Service?

[Kumagoro]

I use Line due to circumstance and also as no one has it I have an excuse not to communicate with people.

Having said that I use hangouts seeing as I have an android phone and so a gmail account.

The thing I have noticed about these programs, for calls are they all seem so quiet and seem to suffer from hearing your voice back. Does any particular one have louder volume when using it like a normal phone?

[moizhaq99]

Whatsapp i use mainly lol

[Diabo593]

Walkie talkie. Back in my day..

[Ttaskmaster]

Walkie talkie. Back in my day..

CB or PMR446?

[Pfister]

This is the defining factor for me. I don't have major concerns on data privacy other than common sense measures...that ship sailed a long time ago for me and i've made peace with how much Google/Samsung/Microsoft et al know about me. It no longer worries me.

I have a bigger issue with functionality & accessibility - what features does the messaging tool have, who can I talk to on it, how does it work as i move around devices etc.....so as a result, my friends and I all migrated away from WhatsApp to telegram well over a year ago.

Whats app is far too limiting - stuck to one device, the "on the web" PC app is just awful and still relies on your phone...and for a long time it had limited features and still lags behind it's competition. The multi device compatibility is the big one for me - I can use telegram on my PC, then swap to my phone, back to tablet etc with no issues. That is not currently possible with WhatsApp.

I still have to use WhatsApp for some of my family where it would be hard to get them to switch over.....but for most situations, I try and avoid it.

I too have moved to Telegram since I found out about WhatsApp's new privacy policy update and a few days ago I heard about bip app in the news. What do you think of this app?

[Alsedo]

I hadn't heard of Signal but did install Telegram the other day, although only to follow a bot for buying a graphics card. I doubt I'd be able to get my friends to switch over as they probably don't care enough.

[Ice Tea]

Anyone else misread Messaging as Massage?

[ik9000]

Anyone else misread Messaging as Massage?

nope, you're on your own there I'm afraid!

[Saracen999]

Dammit, did I say Messaging? That explains the strange replies.


Oh, wait. no ..... wrong forum. Wrong site. And I'm not me. I'm him. um, .... oh, bother.

[ik9000]

Dammit, did I say Messaging? That explains the strange replies.


Oh, wait. no ..... wrong forum. Wrong site. And I'm not me. I'm him. um, .... oh, bother.

Well well Keithy V we've rumbled you at last. We should have guessed something was up when you started that thread on washing machine sales in the classifieds... Especially when you seemed more bothered about the best type of powder than the mechanics of the thing! Now run along and give Saracen his account back, there's a good chap. We'll pretend none of this ever happened, except for the prolonged public ribbing and satirical news quiz shows still repeating on Dave for years to come yet

[PowerPie5000]

I also had to do a double take on that.... Thought I'd check out the thread anyway as I'd already clicked on it . Anyway, I pretty much use Whatsapp and FB Messenger these days as it seems to be what everyone else tends to use.

[dannyboy75]

It's not the easiest to read, I can't find a higher-res version unfortunately. But this graphic gives some useful insight into what data FB Messenger, WhatsApp, iMessage and Signal collect from you. The info comes from the 'data linked to you' section for each of these apps in Apple's app store.





Like many others, it's just too much hassle personally to switch away from WhatsApp when it's used so widely. I guess I see it as a reasonable compromise, although I do still have nagging doubts around the upcoming changes to their privacy policy. Looking at the above though, I'm glad I don't use FB Messenger.

[cheesemp]

My family have only just got round to using whatsapp/instagram so I'm stuck however I don't share that much on there apart from the odd photo of the kids. Do hate facebook with a passion however.

[Saracen999]

....

Like many others, it's just too much hassle ....

I guess I see it as a reasonable compromise, although I do still have nagging doubts ....

And that, I would guess, is very common. And I understand why.

I don't see it as an acceptable, let alone reasonable compromise, though.

Also, I see the "keeping contact with others" issue from the other end of the telescope.

I'm moving. Already moved, in fact. So have those I really want to keep in touch with, which is a very limited group of close family and a couple of friends. So, in order to remain in touch (and bearing in mind there are other methods than messaging services, like, oh, actually meeting people (tricky right now, though), or Mark 1 telephone, email (plus encryption) etc, either I have to put up with increased privacy risks from FB, etc, OR those remaining family/friends will have to run Signal as well as WA. Nothing says they have to stop using WA, in order to run Signal.

So, to keep in touch on messaging platforms, one of two things needs to happen :-

1) I swallow unacceptable privacy risks, or

2) They run Signal as well as WA.

If people don't respect why I left FB sufficiently to run Signal as well, given that it takes about 90 seconds to install, then clearly, they aren't terribly bothered about maintaining contact with me on a messaging app. And if that's the case, quite why should I be bothered enough to continue running WA in the face of these privacy concerns?

I won't lose contact with those people. We will still meet up, talk on the phone, etc. But if they aren't that bothered about contact via messaging app, nor am I.

[Leslie Simpson]

I use Telegram and Facebook messenger. Both are comfortable and versatile. There used to be Vatsap, but over time I abandoned it and do not feel discomfort about it.

[Ttaskmaster]

If people don't respect why I left FB sufficiently to run Signal as well, given that it takes about 90 seconds to install, then clearly, they aren't terribly bothered about maintaining contact with me on a messaging app. And if that's the case, quite why should I be bothered enough to continue running WA in the face of these privacy concerns?

I think such things come to a head when you have to keep a list of which apps you have to use in order to contact which people.
WhatsApp, FB, FB Messenger, Signal, Telegram (app), Telegram (the real kind), Email, SMS, Phonecalls only, Semaphore, CB radio.... Yes, I exaggerate, but not as much as you think.
Every one of those people will have, to their mind, perfectly valid reasons why they simply cannot abide using whichever method(s), from evil Corpos stealing your data, to Martian invaders infiltrating the Post Office, to polluticians making money off investing in the companies that own the apps...