this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2025

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I Hate WhatsApp (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I hate WhatsApp. Or rather, I hate how much of a grip on the market WhatsApp has.

Basically everybody uses WhatsApp over here; it's a given that you'd have WhatsApp if your age is below 55 or something. 55-year-olds are also expected to have WhatsApp, actually, if they have a smartphone... Which would be expected of a 55-year-old. I don't know what the cut-off age is, but it's high!

There's Signal, for example, which has equivalent functionality, but people just don't use it. The point of communication is to communicate, there's no point in being alone on Signal while everyone else is on WhatsApp.

I suppose that what's keeping the crown on WhatsApp's head is the fact it's closed-source. If there was a way to write an app like Signal that also interopped with WhatsApp I'd switch in an instant. Now, because of the Digital Markets Act, this should happen eventually... But it seemingly isn't happening.

I'm trying to wean myself off of Google, too. It's really hard though. Google has really entrenched itself into my life in a way that I simply hadn't realized. Before I knew it, I look around and everything's Google: my entertainment, my communication... I'm using a Tuta account now, for sign-ups and the like. I've also ditched Google Drive and associated services. But it's simply impossible, right now, to get rid of everything.

Slowly, though, I'm moving further and further away from these gigacorps.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's not ideal, but it's still better than dealing with the American iMessage nonsense.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I don't really know what iMessage even is... I know it's the iPhone message app. Is that all it is? Just RCS or something?

iPhones aren't particularly popular here.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

It is basically just Apple's IP messenger, that only works on Apple devices.

However, it also handles SMS messaging, and it merges those conversations automatically, so people on iMessage just use iMessage for their default messaging, and the app will send over IP to other iMessage users and SMS to non iMessage users (Signal used to work this way and it was nice).

Since it's the default and Americans blindly buy iPhones, it leaves most not realizing that third party cross platform messaging apps even exist.

On top of that, Apple does fuckery at the telecom level, so once you register your number for iMessage, ALL SMSes will go to an iMessage server instead of your phone until you explicitly unregister. So take a sim out of an apple phone and pop it into anything else and suddenly, no more SMS.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

...That's so silly...

I really don't understand Americans' obsession with Apple anyway...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm like signal or you will have to use SMS/Text messages.

I'm not the only one either, so people install it alongside their meta/facebook crap.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm not the only one either

I have never met anyone else that even knew about Signal, much less use it. Except for my father, maybe, though he doesn't really use it either.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Time to spread the gospel!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

You know what? HELL YEAH!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Im in my late 30s, Switzerland.

I still have to use whatsapp, half my contacts are on there. Though, when it comes to regular interactions it's more like 80% signal (which is good, we got most of my family, even the even older generation, to switch).

Also my weed delivery service is on whatsapp ... so I really can't quit that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

unfortunately in my contacts very few people use something other than whatsapp. and now even the government started to create fucking communities. I want a law which prevents authorities from publishing anything on a channel which is not open accessible for everyone!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

we got most of my family, even the even older generation, to switch

That's pretty good. How did you manage that?! Didn't they also feel attached to WhatsApp?

Also my weed delivery service is on whatsapp ... so I really can't quit that.

Right, right... lol

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

That’s pretty good. How did you manage that?! Didn’t they also feel attached to WhatsApp?

It was a funny alliance of my brother, our step dad, me and one aunt, which all had various reasons to be on signal and are kind of tech savy. And really Signal isn't that different from whatsapp once you set it up.

My cousin just had a baby and it was announced in the signal group, nowhere else as far as I'm aware!

Right, right… lol

They used sms before ... this is an upgrade.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

As an addition to today's post, I'd like to mention how much Lemmy's default UI sucks. It sucks balls and gargles piss. It's not unusable, sure, but it's dreadful.

I've been using Alexandrite for a while, but I've recently tried switching to Photon. Photon has a couple of kinks I don't really like too much, but overall I find the experience slightly better.