Last year, Facebook merged WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram’s private messages into a single messaging platform. While each app remains a separate icon in your phone’s app library, users can now chat with each other cross-platform and enjoy new features and end-to-end encryption options. However, due to an upcoming change to WhatsApp’s privacy policy, it also means WhatsApp user data will be shared with Facebook and its partners starting Feb. 8. This applies to all WhatsApp users—even if they don’t use Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger.
Facebook is alerting WhatsApp users to the change with an in-app notification, but it doesn’t explain the types of data Facebook will collect on WhatsApp users. To find that, you have to read through the new privacy policy on WhatsApp’s website. According to the most recent version posted on Jan. 4, 2021, Facebook will now collect the following info on all WhatsApp accounts:
Account registration info, including your name and phone number.
Your IP address.
Network and service information.
Technical information on the devices you use WhatsApp on.
Communication data with other users and businesses.
In-app transaction data.
The policy also says Facebook may gather “other information identified in the Privacy Policy section entitled ‘Information We Collect’ or obtained upon notice to you or based on your consent.”
This is a big change from WhatsApp’s previous privacy policy, which let users opt-out of sharing their data with Facebook while continuing to use the app. Unfortunately, the new policy requires users to agree to the changes, or stop using the app once the policy is updated on Feb. 8.
Understandably, many users are unhappy about the privacy policy, the merge of platforms, or even Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp to begin with. Facebook doesn’t exactly have a clean rap sheet when it comes to user privacy and data, and some of us just don’t want to be tied to the ecosystems of big companies like Facebook. So let’s look at alternatives to WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger that will let you make a clean break from Facebook’s multi-platform chat universe altogether.
Signal
Signal is a frequently recommended messaging app thanks to its high level of privacy, user security, and transparency. Signal supports text and group messages; media messages for pictures, audio, video, and documents; and even voice/video calls between users. The Android version can also work as an SMS app, replacing the stock Android or Samsung message apps.
Signal is endorsed by people like Edward Snowden and numerous other privacy/data security advocates (whose comments are prominently featured on the app’s home page). All communication in the Signal app is end-to-end encrypted, and you can set up timers for messages to be auto-deleted. Recent feature updates also include a built-in photo blur tool and new PIN security settings.
Signal can be downloaded for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Debian-Linux distros.
Viber
Viber’s chat features include group chat, instant voice/video messaging, and thousands of gifs and animated stickers. You can even install chat extensions to share YouTube videos, Spotify tracks, location info, and more. Viber also supports audio and video calls. (While calls made between Viber users are free, you can make paid international calls to any landline or mobile number using the Viber Out service.)
All messages on Viber are end-to-end encrypted and can be timed to self-delete. Viber also includes a Trusted Contacts feature that helps you verify the identity of the other chat participant by swapping secret keys. The app will update you if your contact changes their account details in the future.
Viber will display your availability, much like Facebook messenger does, but you can disable this if you ever need to hide your status. You can also disable read receipts, hide conversations, and lock messages with a PIN code.
Viber is available on Android and iOS, which can be synced to your Windows or Mac desktop.
Telegram Messenger
Like many of the other apps listed here, Telegram provides end-to-end encryption for all communication and auto-deletion settings. It lets users send text and media messages, and supports group messages that can include up to a whopping 200,000 people in one chat thread.
Telegram’s cloud-based chat runs on globally-distributed servers, which Telegram claims can deliver messages faster than any other messaging app available. This also means you can sync messages across all your devices, and you get unlimited storage for your shared media. If you’re a developer, the Telegram API is entirely open-source and free to use.
Telegram is available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Windows desktop, Linux (both 32 and 64-bit), macOS, and also offers a native web version of the app.
GroupMe
As the name implies, GroupMe is a group messaging service that provides cross-platform chat. It’s owned by Skype (which is owned by Microsoft), so it’s not open-source like the other services on this list. It’s also subject to the same data-collection practices as all Microsoft products, and it doesn’t feature encryption—nor many of the security features of the other apps we’ve included. However, what sets GroupMe apart is its focus on group chat, as well as a few other fun features.
GroupMe allows users to share videos, images, and documents, which can be viewed via a “gallery” mode that shows all the media shared within a group’s history. You can even send direct messages to specific users within a group. GroupMe also supports location sharing, as well as secondary features such as “liking” messages and custom app-based emoji sets.
There are Android, iOS, and Windows GroupMe apps, and a web-based chat client. However, there is also an SMS-based version of GroupMe that you can use without needing an app—or even a smartphone. Users text specific commands to the GroupMe phone number to create and carry on group chats. This text-based system even allows you to manage your group and change chat settings.
This article was first published in Jan. 2019 and updated on Jan. 7, 2021 with new information about the latest WhatsApp privacy policy and user data collection practices.