I’ve started using the Signal app a couple of weeks ago, and I wished I would start using it earlier. Signal App is an open-sourced messaging app that is end-to-end encrypted. When people talk about this app, they usually mention how secure and privacy-oriented this app is; however, it’s hard to convince an average user that privacy matters. In this article, I will try to convince you and your friends why you should switch to Signal.

Did a friend send you this link? Here’s why you should switch.

Signal App on Android can be your default SMS app – so you can send SMSs to everyone in your contacts (not encrypted)

Signal App is free, open-source and end-to-end encrypted

Signal App is like Facebook Messenger but better because Facebook is bad

Personal Experience

Before I talk about the features and why I think Signal app is iMessage for everyone, I would like to mention my experience. Once I’ve started using Signal, I decided to get my close family on it. That wasn’t such an easy thing to do, because people don’t like change. However, once everyone had their app, and I showed them the main features, they were pretty pleased with the experience. My sister, in particular, didn’t like the app at first; however, she got used to it pretty quickly. In my family, only my dad uses an iPhone, so we don’t use iMessage, but I believe that with Signal everyone is on board, no matter the platform. I will explain more in-depth iMessage comparison later. My close family still uses Signal; my mom even asked me how to send un-secured SMS to my sister when she was in school, where there’s no internet connection. Using Signal has become part of our communication on a daily basis.

What’s So Cool About Signal?

Signal is open-sourced, which means that everyone can read the code, so people who know how to read it can check it and make sure that it works as intended. The app is also free to use without any ads or data collection. If I can throw some popular names at you, it must be Edward Snowden; he is an American whistleblower who disclosed highly classified information from the National Security Agency in 2013. He uses this app daily, and that means a lot coming from a person like him.

I genuinely care about privacy and data collection on the internet; however, that wasn’t the only reason why I switched. Let me explain.

iMessage For Android

Yes, you read it right. There was a lot of attempts with different messaging platforms; however, one of the biggest problems is to get your friends to use it. Signal for Android saves that problem since you can set the app as a default SMS app. It means that you can chat with your friends who don’t use the app via the SMS using the Signal app. This functionality is only available on Android; I believe it’s a huge bonus.

Without this feature, I probably wouldn’t force my whole family to start using Signal App. So, why do I think this is iMessage for everyone. Just like iMessage, you can send standard unsecured SMS to everyone in your contacts. If someone in your contacts uses Signal App, you can send them a secured message over the internet or unsecured SMS if you don’t have the internet connection. No, Signal App doesn’t have any gimmicky features like iMessage does; however, I’m sure it will fulfil your need for communication.

Hard Sell For iPhone

If you’re on Android, you can install the app and start using it as your default SMS app. This feature, however, is not available on iOS. So if you’re on iOS, you need to get at least a couple of your friends on it if you want to use this app. If you have Android friends, it might be easier to convince them to use the app.

Just Like iMessage You Can Text Using Your Computer

And unlike iMessage, you can use any computer running almost any operating system. The signal desktop app is available for Windows, Mac and Debian based systems. I’ve installed it on my elementary OS without a problem, and it works great. There is no Web version of it however that might be due to the security or development reasons. One thing that the apps lack is SMS support. Using Signal App on your computer, you can only send and receive secured Signal messages. That is not a big deal for me; however, it’s something I wanted to clarify.

Main Features Of The App

Aside from encrypted messages, you can also send and receive voice messages, images, videos, documents and gifs. You can also make a voice and video calls however I’ve never tried that. I might do a video call soon. You can also set an auto-delete timer to delete the messages. This is another feature that I haven’t use; however, I can see how important this might be to some people.

One of the essential features of this app, in my opinion, is price, it’s free. There are no ads, no affiliate marketers, no creepy tracking. Signal app put users first since grants and donations support them. There are more features that you can explore on your own.

Conclusion

I believe that you should try the Signal app. It’s free, and if you have an Android, you can also use it as your default SMS app, so you don’t need to convince anyone to switch to Signal. I’m going to keep using Signal and try to convince more and more friends to use it. If you’re using Signal, let me know what do you think about it in the comments below.