Whatsapp came and within a very short period of time it became the world’s most popular and the go-to messaging app and undoubtedly it is amazing because of its features and light size. Whatsapp gained more popularity because of its usability as it could be used on all Android as well as iOS devices. On Google Play, number of downloads of Whatsapp exceeded 5 Billion and more or less, same is the amount for iOS users, by which we can say that almost all of the world’s population is using Whatsapp. There was no other app which was competing Whatsapp till mid of January 2021, when Whatsapp announced its new Privacy Policy 2021. Soon after the announcement of policy, number of downloads for Telegram, another communication app, were noticed to be increasing. Within few days Elon Musk, world’s richest man, tweeted about Signal app and encouraged followers to use Signal because of its security features.
After the emergence of Signal and Telegram as popular communication apps, many internet users are confused that which one is a better choice for communication? Is Whatsapp secure or not? Will Privacy policy breach my privacy? Are my chats secured? These are the concerns of almost everyone but especially for those who are concerned about their privacy more than the others. This article will answer all of your questions related to these apps and will help you decide which one to use.
Contents
Signal Private Messenger: Unbeatable Security
Signal is a free app which can be easily downloaded from normal marketplaces; Apple’s app store and Google’s Play Store. Signal is said to be used by many high profile privacy icons for years and this serves as plus point because Elon Musk also recommended Signal as an alternative for Whatsapp. Signal is open-source app on both server sides as well as the client side, which means whatever Signal do with your information, it is fully transparent.
Signal lets you send the fully end to end encrypted messages either it is text, video, audio or pictures. Signal is unbeatable in terms of security and privacy as it doesn’t store the user’s data. Other than encryption services, Signal lets its users manage other privacy settings like on-screen privacy options which include app specific locks, face-blurring anti-surveillance tools, blank notification pop-ups and disappearing messages.
Talking about services and interface of Signal, it is a user friendly messaging app and is designed with attractive UI. It gives an iOS feel on Android and is easy to use. But one thing that it lacks is stories or status feature, which is now common with other messaging and social apps. But it is justified because the user base of Signal is totally different from that of Whatsapp and Telegram. Now in 2021, more people are downloading Signal and its number of downloads have reached 50 million but at the same time, it is 500 million for Telegram and 5 Billion for Whatsapp. Ignoring the statistics and considering the facts, if you are concerned about security and privacy and you need your data to be encrypted, Signal is ultimately the best choice.
- Main Features:
- Only Collects Phone Number
- Free
- No ads
- Fully open-source
- Encryption by Signal’s own Protocol
Telegram: Security with Customization
Telegram is said to be a middle app on the ground of security and privacy because unlike Whatsapp, it does not store the data of its users but still its security protocols are far behind Signal. It doesn’t mean that it is not a secure app or it does not offer a security to its users. Telegram messages are not end to end encrypted by default but you can turn on this end to end encryption in Settings of the app.
Telegram collects your name, phone number, contact list, your Telegram user ID and also your IP address which is not in the case of Signal. Telegram lets you have a secret chat which is fully secure and private, as it is end to end encrypted as well as app provides on screen security which means that you cannot take screenshots during secret chat. Another feature by Telegram is that you can send self-destruction messages and also you can delete the chat for both users.
Telegram offers a nice interface for its users and is highly customizable like you can change the themes (or could create the one for you), you can manage chats in chat folders. App allows having channels as well as groups and also supports bots which adds a plus point. It allows you to use more than one phone number or you can even use without a phone number.
- Main Features:
- Collects Phone Number, User ID, Contacts
- Free
- Ad Platform
- Partially open-source
- Encryption by MT Proto
WhatsApp: Popular Choice
Whatsapp has no competition with above two mentioned apps because Whatsapp was the first one of its kind which gained this much popularity that almost everyone with smartphone is user of Whatsapp. Whatsapp is not that bad in terms of security as it offers the same end to end encryption as that of Signal. For Whatsapp chats, audio calls and video calls, it uses the same security protocol as that of Signal, Signal protocol. But still there is a leak in bucket that your chats when backed up, they are stored unencrypted.
In security terms there were no issues with Whatsapp but the problem was privacy and new privacy policy. Whatsapp is now owned by Facebook which has bad track record for privacy. WhatsApp collects a lot of information, which includes your personal information like your phone number, your location, contact list and a lot more which is concerning for many people. Though Whatsapp clarified the privacy policy that it will not read personal or group chats but still people are concerned on this one.
Other than this issue, Whatsapp is a really nice app to use and it comes with a lot of features like video calling, sticker packs, stories same as Instagram, and they recently introduced disappearing messages. Whatsapp also have a special variant for business, which allows its users to flourish their businesses.
- Main Features:
- Collects a lot of information
- Free
- Not open-source
- Encryption by Signal Protocol
Conclusion:
After all this discussion, I hope that you’re now clear about which app is a better choice for you and which one to use. I would recommend Telegram if you are not much concerned about security and want to customize the interface for fun. But of your privacy is priority then no other app can beat Signal. Whatsapp is still on top because of its user’s base and usability.
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My name is Imran Raza. I am founder and editor of appiemania.com. I love to use mobiles, mobile apps specially android apps, android games and different gadgets. Here at AppieMania I will write about android games and apps, mobiles and gadgets and how to use them.
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