I asked Signal motivations for SMS removal • Hacker News Board

Re: I asked Signal motivations for SMS removal

#31

Post by esskay » Wed, Oct 19, 2022, 9:12 AM UTC

modo_mario wrote: post #22

apexalpha wrote: post #20

I think you're forgetting the main reason: the group of people using it to communicate is really small and shrinking every year. The only large group of people who still primarily use SMS to communicate person-to-person is Android users in the USA. Every other country has settled on either Telegram, WeChat, WhatsApp or FB Messenger, or other niche apps. These apps work on both iOS and Android and often also Windows.…

SMS is still rather common here in Europe. Even if a ton of people use whatsapp and such SMS is often a safe option to initiate with or something trough which you get certain kinds of automated messages like appointment reminders or verification codes.

Not sure that can be said as a blanket statement for the whole of Europe. In the UK SMS isn't common at all anymore.

Re: I asked Signal motivations for SMS removal

#32

Post by IshKebab » Wed, Oct 19, 2022, 9:12 AM UTC

modo_mario wrote: post #22

apexalpha wrote: post #20

I think you're forgetting the main reason: the group of people using it to communicate is really small and shrinking every year. The only large group of people who still primarily use SMS to communicate person-to-person is Android users in the USA. Every other country has settled on either Telegram, WeChat, WhatsApp or FB Messenger, or other niche apps. These apps work on both iOS and Android and often also Windows.…

SMS is still rather common here in Europe. Even if a ton of people use whatsapp and such SMS is often a safe option to initiate with or something trough which you get certain kinds of automated messages like appointment reminders or verification codes.

Which countries? It has zero use in the UK (apart from for stuff like parcel deliveries and 2FA). We're 100% WhatsApp.

Re: I asked Signal motivations for SMS removal

#33

Post by Milner08 » Wed, Oct 19, 2022, 9:13 AM UTC

modo_mario wrote: post #22

apexalpha wrote: post #20

I think you're forgetting the main reason: the group of people using it to communicate is really small and shrinking every year. The only large group of people who still primarily use SMS to communicate person-to-person is Android users in the USA. Every other country has settled on either Telegram, WeChat, WhatsApp or FB Messenger, or other niche apps. These apps work on both iOS and Android and often also Windows.…

SMS is still rather common here in Europe. Even if a ton of people use whatsapp and such SMS is often a safe option to initiate with or something trough which you get certain kinds of automated messages like appointment reminders or verification codes.

Automated messages are pretty much the only thing I get via SMS. Other than the occasional message from my mum who likes to randomly flip between WhatsApp and SMS depending on which way the wind blows.

Re: I asked Signal motivations for SMS removal

#34

Post by Tepix » Wed, Oct 19, 2022, 9:13 AM UTC

apexalpha wrote: post #20

I think you're forgetting the main reason: the group of people using it to communicate is really small and shrinking every year. The only large group of people who still primarily use SMS to communicate person-to-person is Android users in the USA. Every other country has settled on either Telegram, WeChat, WhatsApp or FB Messenger, or other niche apps. These apps work on both iOS and Android and often also Windows.…

You're forgetting that there's more than just person-to-person SMS.

Re: I asked Signal motivations for SMS removal

#35

Post by A4ET8a8uTh0 » Wed, Oct 19, 2022, 9:13 AM UTC

apexalpha wrote: post #20

I think you're forgetting the main reason: the group of people using it to communicate is really small and shrinking every year. The only large group of people who still primarily use SMS to communicate person-to-person is Android users in the USA. Every other country has settled on either Telegram, WeChat, WhatsApp or FB Messenger, or other niche apps. These apps work on both iOS and Android and often also Windows.…

Do you have any data to back it up? I have trouble believing that, but I am admittedly biased against Apple devices.

Re: I asked Signal motivations for SMS removal

#36

Post by busymom0 » Wed, Oct 19, 2022, 9:13 AM UTC

apexalpha wrote: post #20

I think you're forgetting the main reason: the group of people using it to communicate is really small and shrinking every year. The only large group of people who still primarily use SMS to communicate person-to-person is Android users in the USA. Every other country has settled on either Telegram, WeChat, WhatsApp or FB Messenger, or other niche apps. These apps work on both iOS and Android and often also Windows.…

SMS is still very common in India.

Re: I asked Signal motivations for SMS removal

#37

Post by Kiro » Wed, Oct 19, 2022, 9:14 AM UTC

apexalpha wrote: post #20

I think you're forgetting the main reason: the group of people using it to communicate is really small and shrinking every year. The only large group of people who still primarily use SMS to communicate person-to-person is Android users in the USA. Every other country has settled on either Telegram, WeChat, WhatsApp or FB Messenger, or other niche apps. These apps work on both iOS and Android and often also Windows.…

> Every other country

That's obviously not true. I live in a European country where a lot of people are still using SMS.

Re: I asked Signal motivations for SMS removal

#38

Post by alexschnapp » Wed, Oct 19, 2022, 9:14 AM UTC

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #17

edent wrote: post #9

SMS was, in my opinion, the killer feature for Signal. Telling people to install yet-another-inbox which was only going to be used by their one privacy-weirdo friend was a non-starter. Saying "this is a better SMS app" got people on-board and let them "upgrade" to secure messaging. That's why I started using it in the "TextSecure" days. But, sadly, I agree with Signal's reasoning here. Mixing the two protocols was an…

As a Dutch person, I'm still amazed that the US still seems to use SMS as much; mind you, our phone plans here were "you get 1000 text messages and X minutes or a bajillion megabytes of data"; that + 'free' international messaging / calls with services like Whatsapp quickly pushed people to data-only messaging like Whatsapp or maybe FB Messenger. We also have a big immigrant population that like to chat with their fa…

No, my phone plan in the US was unlimited call and text. So it was either imessage with everyone or text.

Re: I asked Signal motivations for SMS removal

#39

Post by polskibus » Wed, Oct 19, 2022, 9:14 AM UTC

microtonal wrote: post #28

modo_mario wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SMS is still rather common here in Europe. Even if a ton of people use whatsapp and such SMS is often a safe option to initiate with or something trough which you get certain kinds of automated messages like appointment reminders or verification codes.

I think that differs very much per country. The last time I have received an SMS from a human in NL must have been a decade ago. In many European countries, sending SMS was quite expensive, leading to early and very wide adoption of WhatsApp.

That was ages ago. Most people have unlimited text messages these days (SMS, not MMS).

Re: I asked Signal motivations for SMS removal

#40

Post by apexalpha » Wed, Oct 19, 2022, 9:15 AM UTC

Tepix wrote: post #34

apexalpha wrote: post #20

I think you're forgetting the main reason: the group of people using it to communicate is really small and shrinking every year. The only large group of people who still primarily use SMS to communicate person-to-person is Android users in the USA. Every other country has settled on either Telegram, WeChat, WhatsApp or FB Messenger, or other niche apps. These apps work on both iOS and Android and often also Windows.…

You're forgetting that there's more than just person-to-person SMS.

No I'm not. I receive automated SMS messages all the time. 2FA codes, parcel tracking, my appointment at the dentist reminder etc...

But that's pointless to have inside the Signal app, which is for person-to-person communication. I wouldn't even want those messages in WhatsApp even if it could do it.