Messenger Signal is more popular than WhatsApp

Messenger service Signal is becoming increasingly popular, Photo (c) Pixel.com

The new terms of use for WhatsApp came into force on Saturday. The changes were probably an occasion for many users to switch to competitors.

Messenger Signal is currently in first place in the Google Play Store in many countries, making it one of the most popular apps right now. In countries such as Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, and Poland, Signal is listed higher than competitor WhatsApp, as shown by contributions in the Signal sub-forum on the Reddit website.

Tesla boss Elon Musk (49) also called on his Twitter followers to use Signal at the beginning of January.

The reason for the popularity of Signal is probably the new guidelines that have recently come into force on WhatsApp. According to WhatsApp parent company Facebook, there are few changes for users, the changes are primarily intended to affect communication with companies. Read more about the new guidelines, what will change for users and what critics say here.

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> Related: The 5 Best WhatsApp Alternative

> Related: WhatsApp New Policy

What Is Signal?

The Signal is a messenger like WhatsApp that many users and experts like to name as an alternative. Among other things, Signal is considered privacy-friendly. Read here how you can switch from WhatsApp to Signal. Read here which functions you should be familiar with at Signal. In addition, the messenger has functions that WhatsApp does not have. You can read about them here.

Other Messengers have also become more popular with users in recent months due to the changes to WhatsApp: the download numbers of apps such as Telegram, Wire, or Threema have also increased. Telegram is also viewed critically by data protectionists, among other things because of its encryption. Read more about Telegram here.

The Problem With WhatsApp

The company behind WhatsApp has been part of Facebook since 2014. Users mainly complained that the data collected should be transmitted to other parts of the group - which was also the case before. Users who do not agree with the new data protection regulations should gradually be blocked from certain chat features.