4 ms·

Because: 1. WhatsApp was the first widely-used such app and it was phone number-based, so all the clones use the same system. 2. Non-technical people have a h

Because: 1. WhatsApp was the first widely-used such app and it was phone number-based, so all the clones use the same system. 2. Non-technical people have a hard time (read: bordering on impossible) remembering their usernames, let alone passwords, and by using the phone number as both identification and authorization, the problem is sidestepped. 3. People have an existing address book of contacts (in the form of phone numbers) in their mobile phones, that can be used to pre-populate the app's buddy list.

davestephens 8y ago
Re 2 - Blackberry Messenger used an eight character alphanumeric ID, and was enormously popular in the UK (not sure about other countries however) - until Blackberries died a death at the hands of Apple and Android...
- MekaiGS 8y ago
  BBM was different since the PIN was baked into the device so it as more seamless than even using your phone number. The problem was when you change your device you can't migrate your PIN so I think it contributed to decline to usage as people moved to other BB devices or iOS/Android This only strengths the argument why majority of chat apps use phone number as your username.
- matwood 8y ago
  Was BB ever really mainstream? I know it had loyal following, particularly for business users. But, at its peak it had 80M users globally. Most people still had basic phones then, and many of those with BlackBerries probably had an IT department supporting them.
  - DanBC 8y ago
    BB was thoroughly mainstream in the UK. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/aug/08/london-riots-facebook-twitter-blackberry https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/aug/08/london-riots-f... from 2010 / 2011 > Using BlackBerry handsets – the smartphone of choice for the majority (37%) of British teens, according to last week's Ofcom study – BBM allows users to send one-to-many messages to their network of contacts, who are connected by "BBM PINs". For many teens armed with a BlackBerry, BBM has replaced text messaging because it is free, instant and more part of a much larger community than regular SMS.
acqq 8y ago
> 2. Non-technical people have a hard time (read: bordering on impossible) remembering their usernames, let alone passwords, and by using the phone number as both identification and authorization, the problem is sidestepped. In Signal it's a requirement and not a convenience: I would like to avoid using the number, and I'm able to configure it, but I can't, because the apps don't allow that. Just the same like I have to use it for a new Google account etc. The real reason is: both the spy agencies and the ad companies really like to be able to easily identify everybody.
- kasey_junk 8y ago
  Are you implying that signal works for a spy agency or an ad company?
  - acqq 8y ago
    Everybody should draw his own conclusions. Some topics to consider, that those interestdd in such topics have to clear with themselves (source: all Wikipedia): “The Open Technology Fund (OTF) is a U.S. Government funded program created in 2012 at Radio Free Asia.” “Radio Free X” (for different X” have a very long history of effecively being made and maintained by CIA. “Clinton's policy was "heavily influenced by the Internet activism that helped organize the green revolution in Iran in 2009 and other revolutions in the Arab world in 2010 and 2011".[3]” “Notable projects that the OTF has supported include The Tor Project, Open Whisper Systems,..” Such associations can at least (directly or indirectly) influence some design decisions. The best proof against the points like mine would simply be to allow those who want and know how to do that to really use the service completely anonymously, that is, especially without providing some phone number.
    - willstrafach 8y ago
      If you have this level of distrust, why use their service and expose your IP address to it? At that point, better to set up your own server.
      - 8y ago
thinkloop 8y ago
4. One of the more effective ways of enforcing 1 person 1 account
- acqq 8y ago
  In whose interest is that?
gsich 8y ago
2. no. People can and do remember. Just ask their mail address. Of course someone will post anecdotal evidence that they can't.

davestephens 8y ago

Re 2 - Blackberry Messenger used an eight character alphanumeric ID, and was enormously popular in the UK (not sure about other countries however) - until Blackberries died a death at the hands of Apple and Android...

MekaiGS 8y ago
BBM was different since the PIN was baked into the device so it as more seamless than even using your phone number. The problem was when you change your device you can't migrate your PIN so I think it contributed to decline to usage as people moved to other BB devices or iOS/Android This only strengths the argument why majority of chat apps use phone number as your username.
matwood 8y ago
Was BB ever really mainstream? I know it had loyal following, particularly for business users. But, at its peak it had 80M users globally. Most people still had basic phones then, and many of those with BlackBerries probably had an IT department supporting them.
- DanBC 8y ago
  BB was thoroughly mainstream in the UK. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/aug/08/london-riots-facebook-twitter-blackberry https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/aug/08/london-riots-f... from 2010 / 2011 > Using BlackBerry handsets – the smartphone of choice for the majority (37%) of British teens, according to last week's Ofcom study – BBM allows users to send one-to-many messages to their network of contacts, who are connected by "BBM PINs". For many teens armed with a BlackBerry, BBM has replaced text messaging because it is free, instant and more part of a much larger community than regular SMS.

acqq 8y ago

> 2. Non-technical people have a hard time (read: bordering on impossible) remembering their usernames, let alone passwords, and by using the phone number as both identification and authorization, the problem is sidestepped. In Signal it's a requirement and not a convenience: I would like to avoid using the number, and I'm able to configure it, but I can't, because the apps don't allow that. Just the same like I have to use it for a new Google account etc. The real reason is: both the spy agencies and the ad companies really like to be able to easily identify everybody.

kasey_junk 8y ago
Are you implying that signal works for a spy agency or an ad company?
- acqq 8y ago
  Everybody should draw his own conclusions. Some topics to consider, that those interestdd in such topics have to clear with themselves (source: all Wikipedia): “The Open Technology Fund (OTF) is a U.S. Government funded program created in 2012 at Radio Free Asia.” “Radio Free X” (for different X” have a very long history of effecively being made and maintained by CIA. “Clinton's policy was "heavily influenced by the Internet activism that helped organize the green revolution in Iran in 2009 and other revolutions in the Arab world in 2010 and 2011".[3]” “Notable projects that the OTF has supported include The Tor Project, Open Whisper Systems,..” Such associations can at least (directly or indirectly) influence some design decisions. The best proof against the points like mine would simply be to allow those who want and know how to do that to really use the service completely anonymously, that is, especially without providing some phone number.
  - willstrafach 8y ago
    If you have this level of distrust, why use their service and expose your IP address to it? At that point, better to set up your own server.
    - 8y ago

thinkloop 8y ago

4. One of the more effective ways of enforcing 1 person 1 account

acqq 8y ago
In whose interest is that?

gsich 8y ago

2. no. People can and do remember. Just ask their mail address. Of course someone will post anecdotal evidence that they can't.