When WhatsApp appeared in 2009, social media communications took a giant leap forward. A modest effort undertaken by two passionate people eventually became the dominant force.
However, after Facebook bought it, there were many debates and arguments about the app’s privacy and security settings. Here’s a short look at three popular messaging apps—WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal—to determine which offers the best combination of privacy and convenience.
WhatsApp vs. Telegram vs. Signal: Introduction
All three of the most popular messaging apps, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, have their own unique strengths. They’ve helped people finally start talking to each other, which was really needed.
WhatsApp is a cross-platform messaging program that allows users to send each other text, audio, video, documents, and GIFs. They can inform their loved ones of events and provide links and status updates. As long as you have access to the internet, the software doesn’t require a cellular network or SMS exchange to function and offers its services at no cost.
Jan Koum and Brian Acton, two Americans, created the app. Surprisingly, they both attempted to secure employment at the Facebook headquarters but were unsuccessful. Instead, they built their own app, which Facebook then purchased in 2014. WhatsApp turns out to be a fantastic method of communication for both personal and professional purposes.
Telegram
Like other messaging apps, Telegram allows you to have conversations with friends and family. It is cross-platform, cloud-based IM software that allows for the creation of groups, the initiation of video and voice calls, and the sharing of GIFs in addition to the standard IM conversation. It was initially released in August 2014 for iOS users, and then in October of that year, an Android version was made available.
Telegram was first made available to the public in 2013 by two Russian brothers, Nikolai and Pavel Durov. They started out on the Russian network VK, which was eventually taken over by the Russian President’s allies. Telegram’s user base has grown from 100 million in 2016 to an estimated 500 million by 2021.
Signal
Signal is a messaging program that functions much like WhatsApp. Moxie Marlinspike started the company with money from WhatsApp’s co-creator, Brian Acton. It replaced the previous encrypted calling software, RedPhone. After years of development and a name change from “TextSecure” to “Signal,” the app was finally released in 2018.
Users can communicate with one another through the sharing of text, audio, and video messages, as well as documents, GIFs, emoticons, status updates, and links. End-to-end encryption safeguards the privacy of all communications between users and allows them to create groups with up to a thousand members.
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WhatsApp vs. Signal vs. Telegram: Security and Privacy
If you’re sharing sensitive information via an internet-connected app, protecting your privacy is paramount. It’s impossible to tell who is taking your information and using it for their own purposes.
Here, we are comparing Telegram vs. WhatsApp vs. Signal security features:
End-to-end encryption
Chats on WhatsApp and Signal are encrypted from end to end. However, there is a small weakness in this logic when applied to WhatsApp. Normal chats and business discussions can be held while maintaining confidentiality.
However, information stored in the cloud or on a disc is not encrypted. As a result, they are still able to read the chats. Signal, on the other hand, encrypts everything, including metadata and backups of data and chats.
End-to-end encryption is not available in Telegram unless you create a private room for your group to use. Then, which among Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp is the best?
Signal is the best app for end-to-end encryption.
Data Access
In addition to your phone number and profile image, WhatsApp also collects information about your location, contacts, status updates, internet service provider, mobile phone model, purchases, crashes, performance, and interactions.
Telegram just requires your phone number, email address, and contact information, as well as information about your contacts, during registration. Signal’s sign-up process requires only a phone number.
Group Limit
In this respect, WhatsApp lags behind both Signal and WhatsApp. Signal provides superior group privacy compared to Telegram. When using Telegram for group chats, your messages are not encrypted or protected in any way. A telegram group, on the other hand, can have up to 200 thousand members. There are just about a thousand people using Signal, compared to WhatsApp’s 256.
Combining existing sets
Even if someone is already on your Signal contacts list, you must invite them individually if you wish to join them in a group. If they want to be in your group, they will have to accept it. WhatsApp and Telegram are two exceptions to this rule. If you know how to get in touch with someone, you can add them to the group even if they haven’t agreed to be included. When inviting someone to a WhatsApp or Telegram group, you can provide them with a link to join the group. This functionality is missing from Signal.
Which is Safer to Use: Telegram or Signal?
A comparison of WhatsApp with Signal and Telegram reveals that the former is supported by advertising. Under the guise of offering “optimal services” to its consumers, this exposes all user data to commercial services. Data privacy is compromised whenever information is moved across services, such as when it is sent from WhatsApp to Facebook or vice versa.
However, with Telegram and Signal, this is not the case. Users’ contact information is the only data collected by Telegram, and that’s just to sync it with the app so new users may get suggestions and pop-ups as soon as they sign up. It does not sell users’ data or offer them any additional services in exchange for it. Despite the fact that Telegram does not monitor your conversations, the service does not offer end-to-end encryption.
Telegram is more secure than WhatsApp, but it is still not the best option. The current best option appears to be Signal. Brian Acton was familiar with how the WhatsApp landscape and features had evolved after Facebook’s acquisition of the service. After developing “irreconcilable differences” with Facebook Inc., the two founders severed ties with the company.
The design and functionality of the Signal app close all the gaps left by WhatsApp. Except for the user’s cell phone number, which is required in order to sign up for the service, no personal data is gathered. Aside from that, you can rest assured that everything is secure. Cloud storage provides a safe and reliable location for all data, including backups. They will not pry into your private interactions with others.
Signal is thus significantly more secure than both WhatsApp and Telegram.
When we’ve finished comparing WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram, we can focus on each service individually.
Telegram: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free and available to the public.
- Cloud-based chat backups are now available.
- No commercial interruptions
- A security lock option is present.
- Featured are messages that encourage suicide.
- It collects no information about its users beyond the contact list and the phone number.
Cons
- lacks full security (end-to-end encryption).
- With the exception of secret conversations, no data is encrypted or hidden.
Signal: Pros and Cons
Pros
- It’s free and available to the public.
- All conversations are secure thanks to end-to-end encryption.
- Encryption is also used for data backup.
- Without commercials
- An Android and iOS app for free-form conversation.
- Without data storage on development servers
Cons
- The desktop application is not well developed
Signal will prove to be the best option if privacy is your top priority. Signal has you covered.
What are you losing if you are planning to switch from WhatsApp?
There is much more to gain than to lose. That is, if you know how to play your cards right. Because it allows you to interact without taking up much room on your phone, WhatsApp has proven to be a useful tool. Your discussions and the data you’re trading on the platform are both quite compact. However, you can’t export your information from its database and use it in another IM service.
If you uninstall WhatsApp, you may lose your messages and other information. You will lose everything if you haven’t made any cloud backups of your data. If you delete your WhatsApp account, any associated Google Drive files will also be deleted.
You may back up your conversations and other data on the smartphone by adjusting the app’s settings. Select the amount of chat history you wish to save by going to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. You have the option of saving data once per day or saving the entirety of a month’s worth of chats on a single day. Keeping a daily record is the most common practice.
In addition, WhatsApp’s data-saving features include automatic backups. You can verify it on your own if you like. WhatsApp performs a daily backup at 2:00 AM, the duration of which varies with the quantity of your files. If you’re serious about leaving WhatsApp, the safest way to transfer your data is to let the app handle this task for you.
Although you won’t be able to share your information with other apps, you can still save it for later use. The following paragraphs will explain the procedure.
Tip: Third-Party Transfer Tool: MobileTrans
If you need to get something done quickly and efficiently, one of the greatest apps to do it is If you’re thinking of permanently erasing WhatsApp, you can back up your data in a matter of minutes with his transfer tool.
These are the steps that you need to follow:
Step 1: To get started, grab MobileTrans from Google Play or the Apple App Store. The download time is negligible. Launch WhatsApp, then go to “Phone to Phone” and select the transfer option.
Step 2: The program requires a connection between your computer and mobile device. When you plug your phone into your computer via USB, the program will recognize it in a matter of seconds. Then, a wide variety of files can be sent and processed simultaneously.
Step 3: When prompted with the “Proceed” button, pause and do not interfere. After the “Completion” message appears on the screen, which takes a few minutes, you can safely disconnect the phone.
Your computer will keep this data for you. Your media files, including audio and video, will keep their original quality and file type. Conversations can be reread at any time. All of the information will be exported to PDF, so you can access it even if you don’t have WhatsApp installed on your device.
Conclusion
Everyone, it seems, is worried about their privacy when online. There is little doubt that online apps and software are using user data to amass fortunes. This will be a major data breach and may also have a lasting impact on how well the apps perform. Signal, a cross-platform communications tool, gained widespread attention after Elon Musk publicly advocated for its use.
The new WhatsApp privacy policy has sparked renewed interest in the comparison between Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram. For reasons that aren’t quite clear, WhatsApp insisted on collecting even more information from its users. If you’ve decided to move on from WhatsApp, you may utilize MobileTrans to export your data before making the switch.