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Honest question. What do Signal and WhatsApp bring to the table that I'm not getting with the messaging apps built into my phones? Me and all my friends and fam

Honest question. What do Signal and WhatsApp bring to the table that I'm not getting with the messaging apps built into my phones? Me and all my friends and family just use those, and nobody has ever asked me to communicate with Signal or WhatsApp.

dtx1 6y ago
Do you mean Apps on your phone relying on SMS?
- intrasight 6y ago
  I mean the native apps whatever they are. I've an iPhone and an Android phone, and they both message just fine.
  - dtx1 6y ago
    Do they encrypt the data end-to-end? Are they private and privacy friendly? If the answer is no, then they don't message 'just fine' but are an obvious liablity.
    - intrasight 6y ago
      I'll have to research RCS some more, but it seems that it is. https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/144258-what-is-rcs-messaging-the-messaging-format-set-to-take-over-your-android-phone https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/144258-what-is-rcs-m...
kua60 6y ago
I think whatsapp and signal gained real momentum in countries where sending too many text messages was super expensive than having a cheap internet pack and send unlimited messages using whatsapp or signal
kevincox 6y ago
My messaging apps built into your phone do you mean SMS? Or iMessage or RCS? Because SMS leaves a lot on the table. It is okay if you want to send just text but doesn't support rich features such as reactions, replies various forms of formatting or media. It is also very insecure. iMessage and RCS provide more but have their own limitations particularly across platforms. Furthermore other messaging apps provide a wide variety of features and aren't tied to (often temporary) identifiers such as phone numbers. So SMS may be sufficient for many people but I'm surprised that you haven't encountered people using other communications tools that are much more full featured.
- intrasight 6y ago
  It's the icon at the bottom besides the phone icon :) I can't imaging asking a friend or relative to install an app so that I can message them. I'm sure the response would be "you can already message me". I send text. I send photos. I guess I could install it on both of my phones and message myself to see what it adds. I'm just having a hard time imaging what it could be.
  - kevincox 6y ago
    So you don't care about security or reactions... How about group chat? That is a very useful feature that SMS doesn't provide.
    - intrasight 6y ago
      The iPhone is my daily device that I use for messaging. iMessage gives me reactions and group. I had assumed that the Android message app did the same.
      - kevincox 6y ago
        If you are using iMessage you are using a custom messaging app. The only difference is that it was pre-installed on you phone.

dtx1 6y ago

Do you mean Apps on your phone relying on SMS?

intrasight 6y ago
I mean the native apps whatever they are. I've an iPhone and an Android phone, and they both message just fine.
- dtx1 6y ago
  Do they encrypt the data end-to-end? Are they private and privacy friendly? If the answer is no, then they don't message 'just fine' but are an obvious liablity.
  - intrasight 6y ago
    I'll have to research RCS some more, but it seems that it is. https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/144258-what-is-rcs-messaging-the-messaging-format-set-to-take-over-your-android-phone https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/144258-what-is-rcs-m...

kua60 6y ago

I think whatsapp and signal gained real momentum in countries where sending too many text messages was super expensive than having a cheap internet pack and send unlimited messages using whatsapp or signal

kevincox 6y ago

My messaging apps built into your phone do you mean SMS? Or iMessage or RCS? Because SMS leaves a lot on the table. It is okay if you want to send just text but doesn't support rich features such as reactions, replies various forms of formatting or media. It is also very insecure. iMessage and RCS provide more but have their own limitations particularly across platforms. Furthermore other messaging apps provide a wide variety of features and aren't tied to (often temporary) identifiers such as phone numbers. So SMS may be sufficient for many people but I'm surprised that you haven't encountered people using other communications tools that are much more full featured.

intrasight 6y ago
It's the icon at the bottom besides the phone icon :) I can't imaging asking a friend or relative to install an app so that I can message them. I'm sure the response would be "you can already message me". I send text. I send photos. I guess I could install it on both of my phones and message myself to see what it adds. I'm just having a hard time imaging what it could be.
- kevincox 6y ago
  So you don't care about security or reactions... How about group chat? That is a very useful feature that SMS doesn't provide.
  - intrasight 6y ago
    The iPhone is my daily device that I use for messaging. iMessage gives me reactions and group. I had assumed that the Android message app did the same.
    - kevincox 6y ago
      If you are using iMessage you are using a custom messaging app. The only difference is that it was pre-installed on you phone.