Differences

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--- messaging_apps [2026/06/16 00:06] – [Messaging apps] particles
+++ messaging_apps [2026/06/16 00:09] (current) – [Messaging apps] particles
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   - Best overall((Just because it's the best doesn't mean you should use it.)): Telegram! Telegram is the best messaging app, but not the most secure((Server can read all messages unless you use 'secret chats', which have not been broken, but are a custom type of encryption many people have expressed skepticism over.)). It is the most feature rich, has the most luxurious apps across all platforms, beautiful animations, and generally is wonderful. The app to copy. Suddenly gained a reputation for hosting white supremacist content, so now using Telegram is socially problematic. Voice calls are garbage quality.
     - Added garbage AI editing to the compose box, which is terrible.
-  - Most secure((Signal and WhatsApp use the Signal protocol, aka the Axolotl Ratchet, which is the most advanced encryption scheme that exists for messaging.)): Signal. That's all. Phone number identity((They added a workaround that allows you to use a display name, but this doesn't actually let you create an account without a real phone number, so it's still annoying.)) sucks. Sluggish. Feels terrible to use.
+  - Most secure((Signal and WhatsApp use the Signal protocol, aka the Axolotl Ratchet, which is the most advanced encryption scheme that exists for messaging.)): Signal. That's all. Phone number identity((They added a workaround that allows you to use a display name, but this doesn't actually let you create an account without a real phone number, so it's still annoying.)) sucks. Sluggish. Feels terrible to use. Missing a ton of features other apps have, like sharing sticker sets, nice animations, easy cross-platform device sync, and things of that nature.
   - Second most secure: WhatsApp. Kinda bad. Sluggish. Poor features. Phone number identity sucks. Sluggish. Founders promised “no ads, ever.” In 2025, it got ads.
     - [[https://blog.rankiteo.com/wha1779711949-whatsapp-vulnerability-may-2026/|Apparently, group containers trivially defeat the encryption claims by allowing other Meta/Facebook apps to read the app data in plaintext]].
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   - Wire: Bad. Sluggish.
   - Viber: Bad. Sluggish.
-  - Instagram: Insecure. Very fluid, though. Middling feature set.
   - Facebook Messenger: Middling feature set.
   - QQ: China only. Kinda overloaded app. Kind of sluggish. Overall nice social features. Very well-built.
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   - Matrix: Unstable, doesn't work reliably, servers are either paid or non-performant.
     - One of my friends, who self-hosts a Matrix server, invited me to a Matrix chat, only to miss my first four messages due to decryption failure(!) in 2026(!)
+  - Instagram: Insecure. Very fluid, though. Middling feature set. One of the only apps to ever remove E2EE messaging by force from the entire userbase. Demoted to last place based on principle. No web/desktop client at all.
 ===== Serious Recommendations =====