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Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

economictimes.indiatimes.com

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Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#11

Post by sangli »

codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

I am using whatsapp since 2012 (or even earlier) if I remember correctly. I paid $2 a year for 5 years to use WhatsApp. The reason being I have friends and family all over the world including different parts of USA, canada, Dubai, Singapore, Australia, India, UK etc. Whatsapp was the best tool for communication. And as you suggest stories and statuses are a part of whatsapp, it's just a second thought at the best. Out of hundreds of my contacts, I can count people who post stories and statuses on one hand.

Those features are not standing in the way of user's migration to signal app as far as I can tell.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#12

Post by codeknight11 »

eunos wrote: post #9
codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

> With its stories and statuses Do people really use those? No one in my contacts ever use it, me included.

I don't. And most millenials don't use it unless they are extroverts. But we make a small percentage of their audience.

Take a look at boomer WhatsApp in India. Every single boomer shares stories with images of Gods or daily morning blessings, where they went, what they cooked etc.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#13

Post by acheron »

codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

Will we ever end the MySpace monopoly?

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#14

Post by dylan604 »

londons_explore wrote: post #8
whycombagator wrote: post #3

> India is WhatsApp's biggest market with over 400 million users > Signal saw 2,200 installs on India's app stores on Wednesday up 38% from 1,600 installs in the week ended December 30, according to mobile intelligence firm Sensor Tower. Signal saw about 51,000 installs in December, up 11% from 46,000 in November. Its going to take a while to catch up I think, but: > Harada declined to provide numbers, citing company…

Even so, Christmas/New year is going to lead to arbitrary peaks and troughs in the data because people will be setting up new phones, starting new jobs/university courses (for which they need extra apps) etc. The only fair way to look at it is on a percentage basis (ie. of all chat apps installed last week, what percentage was whatsapp, and what percentage was signal?) I would be shocked if Signal has even 1% of inst…

There's also a difference on a brand new user installing the app compared to an existing user downloading on their new device that Santa bought them.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#15

Post by yumraj »

codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

you always start somewhere.

I’m personally involved in migration of 3 groups, two India-US, one US. Most had never installed Signal.

It’ll happen, it’ll just take some time.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#16

Post by oska »

codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

> Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy.

I really do not agree with this often-made assertion. The main difference between the HN crowd and the general public is that we are more likely to understand how, and how extensively, our privacy is being compromised. We are used to considering computer logs and monitoring as very real (because we work with them / create them); the general public not nearly so much.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#17

Post by quantummkv »

codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

It is happening. I had barely 5-6 contacts on Signal for the past 2 years. Suddenly half my contact list is there.

It won't be sudden but is is happening. And it is only going to be accelerated by the footgun behaviour going around on twitter and Facebook this week

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#18

Post by quantummkv »

codeknight11 wrote: post #12
eunos wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> With its stories and statuses Do people really use those? No one in my contacts ever use it, me included.

I don't. And most millenials don't use it unless they are extroverts. But we make a small percentage of their audience. Take a look at boomer WhatsApp in India. Every single boomer shares stories with images of Gods or daily morning blessings, where they went, what they cooked etc.

Boomers don't care about the platforms. They will go where their kids go and continue posting there.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#19

Post by jangid »

codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

> They care about features.

This I certainly don't agree. Telegram would have been the most popular app in India if this was true. It is only recently that WA has come close and slightly more in some cases.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#20

Post by codeknight11 »

quantummkv wrote: post #17
codeknight11 wrote: post #5

Signal won't be able to make even a dent in WhatsApp's empire. WhatsApp isn't just a messaging app. With its stories and statuses, it's a mini social network in and of itself. Beyond the HackerNews crowd, most people don't care about privacy. They care about features. Signal won't be able to compete with WhatsApp unless it builds some of those features into its app. Edit - HackerNews crowd seems to get tunnel visione…

It is happening. I had barely 5-6 contacts on Signal for the past 2 years. Suddenly half my contact list is there. It won't be sudden but is is happening. And it is only going to be accelerated by the footgun behaviour going around on twitter and Facebook this week

Churn rate is a more realistic measure than onboarding rate. Only time will tell :)
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