WhatsApp is forcing all users to agree to its controversial new privacy policy by February 8 or they will otherwise lose access to the app.
From free and well-known options like Telegram, to premium services like Threem
The app owned by Facebook has more than 2 billion users worldwide, and even if millions of people choose to migrate, it is unlikely that it will have a big impact on the overall popularity of WhatsApp. The new privacy policy has led many users to look for alternatives.
Telegram
Probably the most similar messaging application to WhatsApp is Telegram, which supports many of the same functions, and even some additional ones. The founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, constantly criticized WhatsApp for the observed problems with security and privacy, describing it as “dangerous”. With more than 400 million users, Telegram is therefore already a popular and well-known alternative to users who are more focused on privacy.
Signal
Similar to Telegram and WhatsApp, Signal is free, easy to use and available on all major platforms. The signal uses open source encryption that allows developers to test it for flaws and find bugs.
Viber
With about 260 million users, Viber is even more popular than Telegram. Users are mostly concentrated in certain regions, which means that it may be difficult to find friends who use it if you are not from those areas. Namely, its main user base is in Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. It has standard functions – from group chat, through instant voice and video messages, to audio and video calls. All messages on Viber are encrypted, and also allow users to send time-limited self-destructive messages.
Threema
Threema, based in Switzerland, describes itself as “an instant messenger designed to generate as little user data as possible.” It allows users to use an 8-digit ID instead of their phone number to connect with other users, while contacts can be verified using a QR code. It offers several features that are not available in WhatsApp, such as liking individual messages and protecting individual chats with a password. Unlike the other options listed here, Threema is not free to use. Another disadvantage of an otherwise great app is that with less than 10 million downloads on Google Play, users can struggle to find other people to connect with.
Source: Independent
Source: PC Press by pcpress.rs.
*The article has been translated based on the content of PC Press by pcpress.rs. If there is any problem regarding the content, copyright, please leave a report below the article. We will try to process as quickly as possible to protect the rights of the author. Thank you very much!
*We just want readers to access information more quickly and easily with other multilingual content, instead of information only available in a certain language.
*We always respect the copyright of the content of the author and always include the original link of the source article.If the author disagrees, just leave the report below the article, the article will be edited or deleted at the request of the author. Thanks very much! Best regards!
