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this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2024
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Technology
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Please Signal, use this opportunity. I really want to be on Signal AAAAH
They have already announced that they will not be interoperable with insecure messaging apps unfortunately.
Signal absolutely should not interoperate with other data-mining software.
And they won't, for the same reason they removed SMS (no insecure messaging options).
That's so short sided. Signal is useless if all your contacts only use WhatsApp.
It's not useless. It has a very specific use that does not coincide with interoperability with data-mining corporations.
It also does not coincide with most people
It doesn't have to. It does, however, have to remain private.
It's up to us to sway them over!
Yeah I believe this to be a fallacy. If all your contacts use WhatsApp, they still haven't grasped the concept of installing two applications side-by-side. Or they don't fully understand why people are using signal over WhatsApp. If you fail both of those, congratulations, you've failed to be a self-aware tech user and you're now demoted to a braindead consumer.
I know, mind blowing right? Point is, society in general should not accept others forcing you to keep the WhatsApp monopoly in tact, which is exactly what's happening here.
It will take some time but eventually adoption will spread, even among your contacts. It's just a matter of critical mass, and there are some pretty compelling features within Signal that make it a worthy replacement.
Most people are indeed technically not savvy and don't understand why they would need more than WhatsApp and Instagram on their phone.
Why not convince people to use Signal as well? Even my family has a group chat on Signal. Of course, it's a slow move with most people sticking to non-open chats. But it's worth the effort I would say.
Yeah after two years even my parents and brother are on signal plus most of my close friends, the rest I just use regular sms
Most of the world doesn't use SMS, they use WhatsApp. Plus, SMS is even worse than WhatsApp for privacy and security. And stopping using WhatsApp in most of the world is like not using email, so no "I don't have WhatsApp, you can only contact me through signal" is possible.
That's always the problem with monopolies and big corporations. They make it harder for you as an individual to use alternatives.
It's certainly possible. It annoys some people, but that's life.
I don't just mean socially speaking. But for contacting services and stuff. My car insurance company only accepts reports through Whatsapp or through calling a guy to come look at your face for a fee.
So there is an alternative. There has to be.
In some different countries, WhatsApp is how people conduct business. I am anti WhatsApp in my regular life, but I used it with a VOIP number when I was traveling abroad.
It's one thing to tell your friends and family you use Signal, you can't tell literally every business. Well, you can, they just won't to do business with you.
The inability to use it on two different phones kills it for me.
You can. Up to 7.
Is there a guide to this? I still can't use a different phone as a linked device, only on desktop or iPads.
https://faq.whatsapp.com/1317564962315842/?cms_platform=android
This worked for me!
I don't think that's Signal haha
Aw man, I missunterstood everything :(
I really don't expect anyone would listen to me.
How could they, they aren't on signal
It might work with people you know but is harder to convince people you just met, that's the reason I still use Whatsapp and recently opened an Instagram.
Yeah, but you can still chat with them on the insecure messenger. You can have both on your phone.
What would be the win if signal would support sending messages to WhatsApp? You'd still be putting your trust into meta.
I do have both.
I didnt say anything about the interoperability. I can imagine some wins... but nothing game changing tbh.
I remember the days when I spent time convincing people to use chat apps. The last one that stuck was WhatsApp.
I've since stopped installing new chat apps because people won't use them.
WhatsApp just works. Wanna video call my Mum? Push a button. Wanna send a Lemmy meme to my mates? Yeah it's 3 taps.
I open up Facebook on me birthday and press the ❤️ on the birthday messages then shut it down and don't use it for another year.
But if I do that with WhatsApp then I don't hear from people I actually care about.
I actually have a friend that refuses to use WhatsApp like I do with FaceFuck. "How does she do it then?" I hear you ask.
She uses Facebook Messenger.
That's the hold Meta has on our communications
Meanwhile I can do all that what you describe on Signal just as easily as that. A friend of mine often sends me Instagram reels on signal because I don't have any insta account. And I actually don't know anyone who has or at least uses a fb account anymore xD
Eh, my missus insisted we use Signal, but it's just flat out not as reliable. It misses messages very occasionally and it's always at the worst possible time.
Like I get that it's a tiny bit more private than Whatsapp, but I'm not running a terror cell or a paedo ring over here. I just want to know if she wants anything from the shop.
It's private and you can verify that, not to mention it's non-profit. WhatsApp claims to be private but Meta has broken promises before and doesn't let us look at source code. It's not a "tiny bit"
Classic "No thing to hide, nothing to fear."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument#Criticism
It depends on whether they get a fair offer, or a bullshit one that has to work through the courts and be officially ruled bullshit before they'll offer anything better.