[Preface: I use Matrix/Riot, Signal, Telegram and Wire for chats, and have been using these for more than a few years] Considering the very slow pace of develo

[Preface: I use Matrix/Riot, Signal, Telegram and Wire for chats, and have been using these for more than a few years] Considering the very slow pace of development on UX and stability, the $50 million initial grant and the creation of Signal Foundation don’t seem to have achieved much. As recently as a few months ago, on the latest iOS and latest version of Signal, I’ve seen some contacts get multiple device changed messages from me even though nothing had changed (no change in device, no change in OS). The few contacts who do use it also complain of message delivery issues. There’s still no way to backup chats on iOS. There’s no easy way to get back group memberships when changing devices. Combine all these with how much the UX and feature set lag behind that of Telegram, I still see Signal as a niche laggard. As pointed out by others, using a phone number as the identifier is a big drawback for something that focuses on security and privacy (Telegram shares the same drawback). What’s worse is that Signal, like WhatsApp, exposes one’s phone number to everyone else in a group (something Telegram got right for a long time by making one’s phone number invisible by default; after privacy issues in the Hong Kong protests, Telegram quickly provided an update so that even people who have your number in their contacts, through enumeration in the case of oppressive regimes, wouldn’t know that you’re on Telegram). I can go on and on, but Signal is not something I’d recommend to people who need secure, private and reliable messaging. I’m currently looking forward to UX improvements in Matrix and its clients. A decentralized solution is probably the best bet for our freedom.