Worried about WhatsApp? A take a look at the three widespread options for messaging

WhatsApp has revised its privateness coverage, which has sparked concern given the information sharing with Facebook and its associate firms. The new privateness coverage has actually brought on much more individuals to contemplate options to WhatsApp. The Signal app as an example has seen a meteoric rise in its reputation, and has topped the charts on iOS, pushed by a rise in downloads from India. Another widespread different to WhatsApp is Telegram, which whereas it’s not end-to-end encrypted throughout the app, continues to realize new customers. Finally, there’s Viber, which has been a preferred app, earlier than WhatsApp began dominating. Here’s an in depth take a look at these three messaging apps and what you want to bear in mind.

Signal
Signal has virtually all of the options as seen on a daily messaging app. But it collects the naked minimal consumer knowledge. (Image supply: Signal)
Security Features
It has end-to-end encryption based mostly on the Signal protocol, constructed by American cryptographer Moxie Marlinspike, who can also be the CEO of Signal. It means no third-party and even Signal can learn your messages. The Signal protocol is open-source, which is one other good factor. Signal doesn’t assist third-party backups both, which is definitely a great factor. All knowledge stays saved regionally on the system, and in case you do lose entry to the system and attempt to arrange Signal on different cellphone, your earlier chat historical past is misplaced.
Cross-Platform
Yes, Signal can be utilized throughout platforms from Android, iOS, iPad, Mac, Windows and Linux as properly. The app reveals the identify of the contacts which are on Signal, which makes it simple so that you can join.
Free or paid? Ads?
Signal is completely free. The app is run by a non-profit. Former WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton helped discovered the Signal basis together with Marlinspike, and has additionally poured in $50 million to fund the app. It doesn’t promote your knowledge or monetise it and doesn’t have commercials.

Groups, video and audio calls
Yes, it helps Group options with a most of 150 members. It has not too long ago added Group video calls. The app additionally helps common video and audio calls, that are additionally end-to-end encrypted.
Disappearing Messages
Yes, you may activate disappearing messages for every chat, which is nice. The time may be set by you starting from 5 seconds to 1 week.
Screen Lock, Other options
Yes, there’s a display lock characteristic as properly. You can even set a PIN to the Signal account to maintain your account safe. There can also be an incognito keyboard possibility, which mainly doesn’t enable your keyboard to save lots of what you might be typing. Other options embrace fingerprint lock, Read Receipts, video/voice name, location sharing, relay calls, archive chats, and extra.
There can also be a characteristic known as Message Requests, which provides you the choice to dam, delete, or settle for messages from an unknown particular person. I favored the truth that Signal allows you to react to any message with emojis. You additionally get the choice to not enable a consumer to take chat screenshots of a chat. In order so as to add anybody in a gaggle, the person shall be required to just accept the group invitation, not like WhatsApp. The storage administration of the app is absolutely good and fairly just like WhatsApp. You can clear messages, take away movies or pictures and test totally different recordsdata within the storage administration device.
Data collected 
The key precedence of Signal is consumer privateness, which is why the app doesn’t acquire any consumer knowledge, as per the privateness labels offered on the App Store. The app solely shops your cellphone quantity or contact info.  When it involves knowledge assortment, this is among the most minimal apps on the market. You can be taught extra in regards to the Signal app right here.
Telegram
Telegram is among the hottest apps with round 500 million customers.
Telegram is one other widespread different WhatsApp and you’ll possible discover a variety of your folks there. A consumer received’t actually discover it tough to modify to this app as it’s easy to make use of and has a lot of the WhatsApp customers. In truth, a few of the Telegram options aren’t current in WhatsApp.
Security characteristic 
Telegram is encrypted, and it’s open-source, although prior to now points have been raised about its encryption. While regular chats aren’t end-to-end encrypted, as they’re on Signal and WhatsApp, in case you begin a secret chat on Telegram, it’s secured and doesn’t get saved. You can even set a timer to destruct these secret chat messages.
To shield the information that isn’t lined by end-to-end encryption, the corporate makes use of a distributed infrastructure. Regarding the problem over end-to-end encryption, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov wrote in a weblog, “We rely on our own distributed cross-jurisdictional encrypted cloud storage which we believe is much more protected,” in comparison with say Apple or Google.
Cross-platform 
Yes, it’s a cross-platform app, which is out there on Android, iOS, Mac, Windows. Given it depends by itself cloud backup, Telegram ensures that if you arrange the app on a special system, the complete chat historical past is retained.
Free or paid? Ads? 
Telegram is free. It is an ad-free service for now. But Telegram not too long ago introduced its monetisation plans as the corporate says the venture of this “size needs at least a few hundred million dollars per year to keep going.” The service additionally confirmed that the commercial interface shall be user-friendly, and it’ll respect customers privateness, which implies no knowledge shall be taken.
As per Telegram, it would quickly launch premium options for enterprise or energy customers. The present options will stay free for all of the Telegram customers, however the brand new ones may fall within the premium plan. The firm may also add advertisements in huge public channels. Note that one-on-one and personal group chats received’t have advertisements.
Groups, video and audio calls 
Telegram is absolutely widespread for teams, and permits greater than 200,000 customers in a gaggle. It additionally helps audio and video calls as properly. Interestingly all video calls are end-to-end encrypted.
Disappearing Messages 
Disappearing messages are a part of the Secret Chat characteristic and you may set a timer for messages. The time vary provided is one second to 1 week.
Screen Lock, Other Features
The better part about Telegram is it’s a cloud service, which is why you don’t want to fret about backing up chats to different servers to revive them on a brand new system. With Telegram, you may entry your knowledge from any of your units as the information is synchronised throughout all of your registered units by means of cloud-based service.
The good half about Telegram is you may ship as much as 1.5GB of recordsdata, create channels, add as much as 2 lakh customers in a gaggle, ahead recordsdata with out downloading them, schedule messages, archive chats, and extra. Telegram permits customers to search out anybody by username or cellphone quantity. Further customers can edit messages as properly. Telegram even shows the identify of the unique supply from the place you’ve gotten forwarded a message and when you faucet on it, you can be redirected to that group or channel.
Telegram helps Picture-in-Picture mode, which implies which you could video name whereas utilizing different apps like Instagram. On Telegram, a gaggle admin can set totally different permissions for each consumer. Telegram affords actually cool and enjoyable animated stickers, which you’ll not discover on some other messaging app. In order to create an account, you simply want to offer your cell quantity and a few fundamental info.
Data collected 
The knowledge collected by Telegram contains identify, cellphone quantity, contacts and consumer ID, in line with the privateness label on the Apple App Store.

Viber
One of the nice options to WhatsApp can also be Viber, other than Telegram and Signal.
Security Features
This is one more privateness messenger app, which helps end-to-end encryption. All kinds of messages, images, movies, voice and video calls and group chats are encrypted. The firm says that everybody must ensure that they’re utilizing the newest model of Viber to get most safety.
Similar to WhatsApp, all of your chats may be backed as much as Google Drive, from the place you may restore your chats. Viber says that after you add your chats to Google, it received’t be liable for your knowledge safety and privateness will rely on Google’s coverage.
Cross-Platform
Yes, Viber can be utilized throughout platforms from Android, iOS, and Windows as properly.
Free or paid? Ads?
Like all the opposite apps, Viber can also be free. However, you’ll witness just a few advertisements within the widespread messaging app. The firm says “Showing you these tailored and relevant offers help us keep the app free for you to use.”
“Since we don’t have access to your chats, neither advertising providers nor brands can access your chats. The content of your chats stays in your chats always and never will be used for showing your relevant ads,” Viber stated in a weblog publish.
Groups, video and audio calls
Yes, it helps Group options with as much as 250 members. One can solely add members by sending an invite to a Viber consumer. This characteristic works just like Signal. The app additionally helps common video and audio calls which are additionally end-to-end encrypted.
Disappearing Messages
Similar to Telegram, you get a secret chat mode right here too. You can set the timer, and screenshot/forwarding characteristic is disabled. The time may be set by you starting from one second to 1 week.
Screen Lock, Other options
The display lock characteristic is out there, however not for the cell model. You can ship stickers and GIFs, delete or edit messages, share location, voice messages, and share recordsdata. You can create your personal GIF, search and ship YouTube movies within the app itself and do a variety of different issues. However, the privateness options that Signal affords aren’t current in each Telegram and Viber.
What knowledge does Viber acquire?
Viber collects location and system ID identifiers. It additionally collects system ID identifiers. It collects cellphone numbers, consumer ID, product interplay, buy historical past, different contact info corresponding to electronic mail ID, identify, and contacts.