If you have privacy concerns after reports of WhatsApp deepening its integration with Facebook and will share its data soon with the social media giant, using an iOS alternative now is a good option.
When reports surfaced about WhatsApp sharing user data soon with Facebook, whether users like it or not, it rattled many people. Several people questioned the need for WhatsApp to share their data with Facebook, and what made it worse is that the app is going to do so without even asking consent from users. However, instead of panicking because of the news that WhatsApp is deepening its integration with Facebook, you might want to opt for iOS alternatives with almost the same or similar functions like the multiplatform messaging app.
When Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014 for a whopping $19 billion, the multiplatform messaging app assured its users that the acquisition would not cause any change in user privacy. Two years after, WhatsApp started sharing user data by default with Facebook, though users can still opt-out of this. Recently, WhatsApp revealed that it would implement changes to its privacy, which included removing the opt-out option for users outside of Europe. Reports that WhatsApp will fully share its data with Facebook soon prove that the app is deepening its integration with the social media giant. The resulting privacy concerns prompted some users to look frantically for iOS cross-platform alternatives, at least those that have similar functions like WhatsApp.
As WhatsApp deepens integration with Facebook, here are two alternatives for iOS https://t.co/NUFzpVvNjp by @ChanceHMiller — 9to5Mac.com (@9to5mac) January 7, 2021
One of the iOS alternatives with a cross-platform encrypted messaging ability like WhatsApp is Signal. Industry observers note that Signal is increasingly becoming popular as people look for new platforms for encrypted communication after news of WhatsApp deepening its relationship with Facebook and will soon share user data with the social media giant started circulating. Like WhatsApp, Signal is compatible with iPad, iPhone, Android, Linux, Windows, and Mac. It also supports group text and audio messaging, as well as video and audio calls. Best of all, the privacy features of Signal, such as view-once media and Signal PIN, will make customers at ease. The app does not store metadata about users or their messages and uses end-to-end message encryption based on its own Signal Protocol.
Another iOS alternative to WhatsApp is Telegram. Like the messaging app, it also has a cross-platform encrypted messaging solution with end-to-end encryption. Many users are opting to use Telegram after news of WhatsApp deepening its relationship with Facebook and will share its user data soon with the social media giant began spreading in online circles. Telegram even claims that it is more secure than WhatsApp because it is using the MTProto protocol, an encrypted transport protocol, and is very reliable even if the network is weak. One important thing to remember, however, is neither Telegram nor Signal can lay claim to enjoying a mainstream adoption like WhatsApp, but if you want more security, then both of them are good iOS cross-platform encrypted messaging alternatives.
