So here’s the thing, every time I try to move away from Facebook messenger I run into the same problem, nobody else in my friends or family actually want to use a secure, private messenger app like signal or telegram, my wife, my parents, my in-laws, my friends they’re ALL on Facebook and they will never take signal seriously enough to actually use it, it really bums me out that there are these far superior options but without anyone else using them they’re pointless…
Anyway what apps do you use to stay in touch with people?
I got my family on Signal by buying them each a drink to install it. Might be worth trying
I use telegram and signal for different purposes and people.
I’m surprised no-one mentioned XMPP/Snikket nor matrix. Both platforms are FOSS, selfhostable and thus gives you total control over your means of communication. Check them out if you’re curious (I prefer matrix, but snikket is more lightweight and easier to selfhost).
I have issues just getting people off SMS, never mind using a dedicated messaging app. I used to get folks to switch to Signal, because it also used SMS… what a headache, when that functionality got removed. I ended up moving to iOS, to take advantage of iMessage. It’s not as good as Signal, but it’s still a huge improvement.
Telegram with my gf and family, discord with friends. Fb messenger is awful to say the least
It might not work for everyone, but my general advice is to go cold turkey. Inform your relatives that from now on they can contact you on Signal and then stop using FB. If they value keeping in touch with you, they will follow.
I could never do that lol. I barely care enough to talk to people and even I’d feel a little alone/I don’t like inconveniencing people. I do use Telegram for some people, but Signal is just used by nobody I know.
Meanwhile the relatives are potentially thinking “well I guess he doesn’t value keeping in touch with me”.
Yes but they would be wrong. Because they would be asking you to sacrifice your privacy for them, while you are only asking them for 30MB on their phones to install Signal
Yeah, they’ll just go.
Hey brother 1, please tell your hermit brother OP that we have a get together next week. 9pm, bring beer ok.
That’s exactly my point: let’s invert the scenario as there is no reason why we should be the ones compromising. The only objective difference is the privacy of the chosen application. Even if this would be equal too, we have just a much right to demand a specific protocol as they do.
Just another reason to not have friends. No need to worry about messages and people getting funny because you 😱 reply to them straight away! 😎
Is it wrong to only miss not having friends when I need a hand lifting up something? 😳 I really need to buy a remote controlled crane! 🤔
I luckily divulged from FB messenger back in 2016. I use pulse sms on Android because I can text from a web browser. I realized I only used messenger because of the browser client. It’s not private sense sms but eh, it’s a pretty practical solution.
Well you could move to Matrix and integrate your messenger account that way it’s a lot more seamless for everyone. You can get one person to do the same and you two start messaging securely via Matrix while you both keep in touch with the rest via the messenger integration. Then eventually everyone that cares even a little bit about Privacy will move over and no matter where they move you can keep in touch through Matrix and its many integrations.
Whatsapp but I’m in Europe.
Useful to have a messenger that also works over wifi. Allows you to go prepaid and save a lot of money. Think I spend 50 Euros a year on phone bills.
And yes, I know it’s also facebook. It is what it is.
Telegram for family, friends, work and actually for everything I can think of.
Discord for gaming with friends, not as a messenger but as voice comms mainly.
Whatsapp for very legacy stuff, haven’t had a notification in a couple of years. Maybe it’s time to uninstall, finally.
Hope i am not intruding, but you are aware of the privacy-shortcomings of Telegram? They are quite severe if one is not aware of them.
Signal if possible, WhatsApp if not. I’m also trying out Session, but it’s still very much work-in-progress.
Signal. I bullied everyone I know into using it and deleted my Facebook account, so they have no other option for contacting me.
I use iMessage with my wife and mostly Signal with everyone else (rarely SMS). I actually managed to get most of my family and friends to install Signal, but then again I’m not a very social person. I deleted my FB and WhatsApp accounts.
I use a mix of them, but fortunately no Facebook Messenger 🤢
I recently saw something called berty that I’m still testing. Looks like a messaging app akin to lemmy.
If you like berty, check out briar. Same ideas, however briar is more mature (and uglier).
