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Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

economictimes.indiatimes.com

101–110 of 113 posts

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#101

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…

Microsoft suicided its extremly popular Messenger and Facebook's took its place, then WhatsApp took over.... things come and go.

Now WhatsApp is on a similar suicide mission.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#102
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My sense for WhatsApp's dominance is peripheral contacts. I can convince close friends and family to move to Signal, but not distant friends, especially the large groups I'm in. I'm pretty bearish on Signal for this reason. (even though I use it personally) The playbook for unlocking adoption would be via a 'minority rule' where Signal users refuse to talk to people on WA, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Why do you need to convince them to move to Signal at all? Why does Signal need to unlock more adoption? Constant growth and expansion isn't always a good thing and IMO it applies here.

> Why do you need to convince them to move to Signal at all?

Because ideally one doesn't want to be forced to donate data to Facebook because of WhatsApps network effect?

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#103

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. That's just not true. It was my non-tech friends who suggested we move off WhatsApp. And zero objections from anyone in my WhatsApp groups.

In my contact circle many people have academic degrees or work in tech jobs and only about 1 out of 10 people would consider switching. I have asked, they just don't care to "have 5 different chat apps installed", when they can "just use WhatsApp".

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#104
post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sometimes I think HN people were born out of thin air and don't have families. That or mine is special, because if I said to them to change from WhatsApp to whatever in the basis of privacy concerns they'd say that: 1. FB already knows everything about them (btw, a social network the still use) 2. They'd lost contact with a lot of people And all this without taking into account features that can make the product even…

The app most useful to me in reaching family in the UK is Telegram. I realise WA is hard to dispense with for many people, but it is not a hegemony.

Unfortunately I'm from Spain where WhatsApp penetration is around 90%, vs a ~65% in UK, so I still know plenty of people, specially family, without a Telegram account (I'd say almost no one over 50 has an account)

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sometimes I think HN people were born out of thin air and don't have families. That or mine is special, because if I said to them to change from WhatsApp to whatever in the basis of privacy concerns they'd say that: 1. FB already knows everything about them (btw, a social network the still use) 2. They'd lost contact with a lot of people And all this without taking into account features that can make the product even…

I thought Facebook was too popular to ever fall down. And yet here we are, it's easier than ever to ignore it. Also, installing an alternative doesn't make you lose contact with anyone. You can set up Signal and make yourself available there without removing Whatsapp. Many people slowly stopped using Facebook without ever deleting it. Still has the same effect.

I'd say they're two really different products, so even if FB popularity is falling dow, that does not mean that WhatsApp would follow. In fact I'm pretty sure that thanks to services like money sending WhatsApp is poised to grow in quite a few countries.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#107
post #62
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's only until the end of your post where you say "unless it builds some of those features into its app". That's kind of an important qualifier. Signal has been steadily growing for a while, and while doing so, implementing plenty of features from other competing apps: disappearing messages came, stickers came, group video calling came, etc. I'm not saying they're definitely going to overtake WhatsApp, but they've f…

> unless it builds some of those features Here's a thing I don't understand - why is everyone obsessed with copycatting? By aiming for feature parity you, as a business or service, are letting a competitor dictate your roadmap. And what's worse, with features they have already shipped.

I think partially almost every business has their roadmap influenced by what their competitors do. Note that WhatsApp/Instagram/Facebook didn't come up with Stories either.

That said, it'll never be just feature parity - Signal's moat compared to Facebook products will always be better privacy.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#108
post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly the argument the GP made: your view is extremely niche. Most people want features, convenience,… real stuff that feels like feature, instead of abstract concepts.

I disagree, most people just want to be on the same network/platform as their contacts and most people don't care about extra bells and whistles but a small niche is out there that actually does.

Most people don't imagine they want those features until they see someone else in their social group using them – fancy status in the form of stories is a great example of this.

People have a strong desire to imitate and one-up others in their social group.

If you build a feature that even 1% of users self-start to use, then the social network can snow ball that with the right mechanics. And these feature need only be used by 20-30% of users for it to be considered a success. Every user is not expected to use all features.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#109

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…

HN and Reddit pipe dream, not even Telegram with all the features it adds makes people moved form WhatsApp.

Re: Signal gaining popularity in India after WhatsApp policy changes

#110
post #26

Telegram is quite popular in India too - especially for group communication since it has a much higher membership limit. A lot of the Whatsapp groups I was part of have now moved there.

Telegram is more popular for free movies, tv series download that otherwise can only be accessed by having a subscription plan on platforms like Netflix, amazon prime etc

I've seen group and channels sharing x-rated pictures and videos.
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