I prefer Signal but use WhatsApp for this simple reason

When WhatsApp changed its terms in 2021, I was one of the many users who looked for alternative messaging apps for Android. While I had heard about Signal before, the controversial move by WhatsApp prompted me to actually try the app out. I loved it then and I still love it now.

But over all these years, I barely use Signal even though I prefer it greatly over WhatsApp. And that’s because of a major advantage WhatsApp has over the privacy-focused messaging app.

You don’t have to be someone who lives off-grid in the woods to appreciate Signal. The messaging app balances great privacy features with a sleek UI and plenty of useful features. It includes end-to-end encryption for your messages and calls by default. Even your profile is end-to-end encrypted and data collection is minimized.

If you’ve tried other privacy-focused services, you’ll know that there’s usually a trade-off when it comes to features. But Signal has a great feature set, with certain tools even outpacing WhatsApp. In fact, Signal allows you to schedule messages — a feature that WhatsApp doesn’t currently offer.

Signal also allows you to add contacts using a username, with the option to not share your number automatically when added. There’s also the ability to set chat colors and wallpapers, meaning you can customize the appearance of the app.

Essentials, such as video and voice calls, are well covered, and the app can be used on a desktop. Signal even has a Stories feature, though I never touch it. Overall, Signal is a feature-rich messaging app, in addition to its privacy features. As a result, I greatly prefer the experience over WhatsApp.

WhatsApp has added plenty of features over the years — but I don’t use many of them. I miss the WhatsApp of yesteryear, when it was simpler. Statuses, Communities, and Channels all feel like they just add to the bloat and noise when using WhatsApp.

I’ve also tried my best to ignore Meta AI, since I don’t bother with generative AI on my smartphone, but WhatsApp just keeps making it more prominent. Above the new chat icon, there’s now a Meta AI button. Meanwhile, the search bar you use to filter through your chats is now also filled with recommended prompts for the chatbot. You can mute Meta AI, but you can’t actually remove it from WhatsApp.

WhatsApp also has a spam and scam problem. While it’s not as bad as you might find on social media platforms, I still receive far too many unsolicited messages from businesses and scammers.

Finally, WhatsApp’s plan to add adverts to the app has just soured my experience further. While I avoid the Updates tab as much as possible, and will likely not see any of these ads, it further highlights Meta’s determination to monetize its apps as much as possible. It also incentivizes more data collection and sharing. Messages on the platform are end-to-end encrypted, but there’s plenty that companies can determine from metadata.

There’s also no guarantee that Meta won’t push ads to other parts of the app, since being a profitable company has never stopped it from pushing even more ads on its apps before.

My distaste for WhatsApp is palpable, so why do I use it when I don’t like the experience? It boils down to one simple consideration — most of my contacts use WhatsApp. In fact, I was surprised when I found out that WhatsApp is not as popular in the US as it is in other countries.

WhatsApp is home to most of my chats with contacts and all of my groups. It’s how PR companies often reach out to me. It’s also how I reach certain businesses, like when I order a repeat of my cat’s medication from my vet. It’s truly rare to find someone who doesn’t use WhatsApp here.

While Signal also has group chats, the lack of contacts who use it means it’s not a viable option for my community groups that include safety information and incident reports. I don’t even have enough contacts who use Signal to create a casual group chat, since none of them know each other.

It’s also a hard sell to tell someone to switch over to Signal, since they’ll encounter the same problem when they move over. I’m a tech journalist, so I should arguably have more contacts that use niche, security-focused apps. But I have 20 total contacts on Signal, in contrast to the 200+ I have on WhatsApp.

It’s the same reason that my colleagues can’t leave WhatsApp despite the ads. But the biggest problem with messaging apps is that they require other people to use them, by definition. The messaging app we use depends on what everyone else around us uses, so it’s essentially chosen for us by others.

But that won’t stop me from hoping that Signal emerges as a viable alternative to WhatsApp. The app has great features without the baggage of Meta-owned products. WhatsApp has been ordered by the European Union to allow interoperability with other encrypted messaging apps and progress is being made towards that goal. Hopefully more countries will add pressure to expand this feature to other regions.

After all, we deserve to be able to choose which messaging app we use, since it plays such an important role in our daily lives.