Skip to main content

These are the best messaging apps for your phone

[ad_1]


Smartphones have a plethora of uses nowadays, but they're still essential for simply keeping in touch—the same reason the telephone was invented in the first place. Nearly 150 years later, though, we've got many more options for how to do it.



The Android and iOS app stores are packed so many messaging apps that choosing one might seem overwhelming, but we've collected the best of the best here for your perusal. Whether you need to share files with a work colleague, organize a group of friends on a night out, or share photos of your newborn baby with family, these apps can help.



Look out for extras like video and audio calls besides basic text chats, as well as full end-to-end encryption if you want to keep the contents of your conversations secret from anyone who isn't involved. WhatsApp, Signal, and iMessage will all encrypt your messages.



If an app doesn't offer end-to-end encryption by default, that doesn't mean company staff, law enforcement, or government agencies are sifting through your messages, just that it would be easier for them to do, if they wanted.



Facebook Messenger


If you can put up with all the security and privacy implications of being on Facebook, its messaging app is actually one of the best in the business. For a start, you can use it simultaneously on as many devices as you like, and it's available on the web, too.



In addition to basic text chats with individuals or groups, you can make audio and video calls, create polls, send GIFs, images, and stickers, share your location with others, and more. A secret conversation mode is available too, for encrypted one-to-one chats that disappear after a set time. Plus, chances are that all your friends are already using the app.



Facebook (free) for Android and iOS



WhatsApp


You can only use WhatsApp on one mobile device at a time, but you can get it on the web, too. It's just about the most comprehensive messaging service available right now, with audio and video calls, photo and location sharing, and easy management of group chats.



WhatsApp includes a neat broadcast feature that lets you contact multiple people at once, and it offers better file sharing than most messaging apps. It also uses end-to-end encryption by default, but if you're avoiding Messenger because it's owned by Facebook, remember that WhatsApp is, too.



WhatsApp (free) for Android and iOS



Signal


Signal is often considered one of the best secure messaging apps, for two reasons: end-to-end encryption and the fact that it's not run by Facebook. It has a more rudimentary interface than some of its rivals, but it includes all the key features you'd probably like to have.



Those include group chats, media and location sharing, audio and video calls, file sharing, and even messages that vanish after being viewed. You can only use it on one mobile device at a time, but desktop apps are available for computers.



Signal (free) for Android and iOS



Instagram


Instagram, also owned by Facebook, is primarily about photo sharing, but its messenger is better than you may have realized. It supports photo and video sharing, group chats, audio and video calls, and access from multiple devices (but not the web).



So why use this app for chatting instead of another one? It works best if a lot of your friends and relatives are heavy Instagram users, or if you want to be able to share your Instagram photos, videos, and stories straight to your contacts in a more direct way.



Instagram (free) for Android and iOS



Telegram


Telegram is another app with a strong reputation for security, and its secret chat mode (where messages disappear once viewed) offers end-to-end encryption. It doesn't offer full encryption for all chats though, unlike rivals such as WhatsApp and Signal.



That does mean, however, that you can use it on multiple mobile devices at once and on the web. It's packed with a host of other useful features too, including group chats, audio calling (but not video calling), file sharing, location sharing, and support for stickers and GIFs.



Telegram (free) for Android and iOS



iMessage


The native messaging app that Apple ships with iOS and macOS has a lot going for it: end-to-end encryption, group chats, audio and video calls via FaceTime, image and video sharing, location sharing, support for GIFs and stickers, and more.



There's even a mini app store for translating text, making plans with friends, working out travel times, polling your contacts, and so on. The downside of iMessage is that it's for Apple devices only—if you're using Android or Windows, there's no way to install it.



iMessage (free) is part of iOS



Snapchat


Like Instagram, Snapchat isn't best known for its instant messaging, but it's actually something the app does very well. If you want some privacy in group and individual chats, you can have your text and images vanish after they're viewed, or choose to keep them archived to look back on.



Sharing images, videos, GIFs, stickers, and more is also really easy, and you can make audio and video calls, too, or play a selection of mini games. If a lot of people you know already use Snapchat, you might find all the chat features you need right here.



Snapchat (free) for Android and iOS



WeChat


Of the chat apps best known in Asian markets, WeChat is the biggest and the best. It's more than a chat app—it's actually an entire platform, covering mobile payments, news, games, and a host of other services via third-party plug-ins running through WeChat.



For messaging, it's hugely comprehensive for both one-to-one and group chats. You can share files, your location, stickers and GIFs, plus social media stories, as well as make audio and video calls.



One problem you might have is getting all your friends to switch, and don't forget its Chinese origins either. It has attracted controversy for reportedly monitoring conversations, so it's may not be the best option for talking about sensitive or personal topics.



WeChat (free) for Android and iOS



Skype


Skype is synonymous with video calling, but it has some handy instant messaging features on the side. For simple group or one-to-one communication, it's one of the best options out there.



Sharing photo and video files is straightforward, as is adding images or GIFs to your chats. You can use it on multiple mobile devices and computers at the same time as well, so it has that appeal if you spend a lot of time jumping between different gadgets.



Skype (free) for Android and iOS




[ad_2]

Written By David Nield

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ice technicians are the secret stars of the Winter Olympics

[ad_1] The emphasis of this year's two-week-long Winter Olympic Games has been placed squarely on the Olympians themselves. After all, the stated purpose of the international competition is to bring together the world’s greatest athletes in a nail-biting competition across fifteen different winter sports. But before the curlers, skiers, and skaters even arrived in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the Olympians of the ice technician world were already a few weeks deep in a competition of their own. Mark Callan of the World Curling Federation and Markus Aschauer of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation both say they’re hoping to make the best ice the Winter Olympics have ever seen. To transform the barren concrete jungle of existing tracks and arenas into an ice- and snow-covered wonderland is an enormous undertaking. And it takes a keen understanding of the physics and chemistry that keeps frozen precipitation pristine. Curling Callan has been making and maintaining ic...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to avoid the mid-movie bathroom break

[ad_1] Long movies and the urge to pee have been linked since the early days of cinema. Sixty-three years before Avengers: Endgame and its three-hour runtime, moviegoers settled in for nearly four hours of The Ten Commandments . “There will be an intermission,” director Cecil B. DeMille announced during the movie’s introduction. And audiences’ bladders were relieved. On average, movies aren’t getting longer, but they also don’t come with a predetermined bathroom break. That means when nature calls, you’ve got to either sit in growing discomfort or gamble on the best time to run to the restroom. But it doesn’t have to be this way, and for most people, setting your body to “do not disturb” is fairly simple. Go before the show The first piece of advice is also the easiest: pee before the movie starts. Generally, healthy adults urinate every 3-4 hours, so the longer a movie runs, the more urgent it becomes to reset your internal p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Charted: Here's how much your food waste hurts the environment

[ad_1] Our species is pretty good at wasting food. Some we discard at the farm for being undersized or oddly shaped. Others we allow to decay in their shipping containers, thrown away before they even reach shelves. We leave even more foodstuffs wasting away in grocery stores, often by letting it sit there until it reaches its sell-by date. As consumers, we don’t have much control over most of the process that brings our food to the grocery store, but we do have control over how much food we personally waste. Let's face it: We’ve all found liquified lettuce in our veggie drawers. Don't fret. It's arguably impossible to consume 100 percent of the food we buy. But a healthy reminder of the effect food waste has on the environment might help us all to be more conscious of the amount of food we eat—and don't eat. Consumer food waste varies extensively depending on the area. In South and Southeast Asia, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that only around ...
Post a Comment
Read more