The nationwide telecommunications outage that is heavily affecting AT&T customers is also affecting iPhone and Android users, but there are a number of messaging platforms that can help when cell phone networks go down.
Apple’s App Store and Android’s Google Play Store have apps that allow users to communicate over Wi-Fi, even if they don’t have the same type of phone.
Apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype, Kik, Facebook Messenger, Discord, Signal, Slack, Snapchat, Viber, Voxer and Signal Private Messenger are some of the many messaging platforms available.
Communication platform Rocket.Chat said there are five things people should look for when downloading a messaging platform: price, ability to connect with anyone, support for rich media, level of data privacy and ease of use.
Here’s what else you need to know about your options.
WhatsApp is a ‘juggernaut’, but it can be sensitive,
WhatsApp and Telegram lead various outlets and blogs’ lists of the best messaging platforms for 2024. WhatsApp is an instant messaging and voice platform, while Telegram is a “cloud-based, cross-platform encrypted messaging system.” Both apps are available for Android and iPhone users
PCMag ranked WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal Private Messenger as its top three messaging platforms.
The magazine called WhatsApp a “juggernaut” because of the platform’s “kind of widespread technology adoption that companies dream of.” According to Statista, the app had two billion monthly active users worldwide in 2023.
The magazine’s strengths regarding the free platform include its huge popularity, voice and video calling capabilities, and its “fun and lively stickers.” WhatsApp’s significant drawbacks include that it requires a phone number and contact list to function, and that backups can be subject to surveillance, the magazine said.
Telegram is ‘completely unique’ for creating communities
Telegram, meanwhile, has “over 700 million monthly active users and is one of the top 10 most downloaded apps in the world,” according to the company’s FAQ page.
Telegram “took the idea of instant messaging and developed it into something completely unique,” wrote PCMag.
“With Telegram, you can chat with your friends, of course, but you can also create communities, publish what are essentially blog posts, host live broadcasts, and so on,” the magazine said. “It’s a dizzying experience, but one that’s marred by decisions that mean it has fewer security guarantees than other apps.”
Telegram’s strengths include its “exquisite design,” interactive emoji stickers, group and channel social features, and the ability to record voice, video, and live broadcasts. Some drawbacks for the app include its “poor detection tools,” “mild moderation” and that not all of its messages are as encrypted compared to other apps, the magazine said.
Lifewire, Zapier, Digital Trends, and Rocket.Chat also have Telegram and WhatsApp on their lists of best messaging apps. Facebook Messenger is another popular app on the marketplace lists.
Messenger allows instant messaging, but Rocket.Chat said users will need a Facebook account and lacks end-to-end encryption, which prevents third parties from accessing data.
Messaging apps need Wi-Fi, experience dropouts
Before clicking the download button, iPhone and Android users need to know a few things, including that messaging apps also experience outages.
Two years ago, WhatsApp went through a two-hour worldwide outage, and Downdetector showed that more than 68,000 users in the UK had problems at the time, the Guardian reported.
Although a spokesperson for WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta Platforms, apologized for the outage, they did not explain what caused it.
In addition to possible outages, most messaging platforms require Wi-Fi, which is needed when the service is down.
There are several apps that don’t need Wi-Fi, including Bridgefy, Briar, and Bluetooth Chat, according to Sinch Engage. These applications use Bluetooth or a direct Wi-Fi connection to work, the German software company said.