- Signal -> Close friends & family I've convinced to use it.
- WhatsApp -> Most of my friends.
- SMS -> School notifications, 2FA, shipping updates, etc.
- Facebook Messenger -> Elderly relatives
- Telegram -> That one relative who wants to use this instead of Signal.
Is there a consolidated messaging app that the HN community recommends?
I can't be the only one suffering from messenger bloat.
But somehow people started using it because it was "more secure" than whatsapp.
Telegram has amazing user experience. It's available for any platform, the messages are always backed up, the apps are high quality and responsive and they have great features for group messaging and group organization. They even give you a library you can build your own Telegram client with.
It's *great to use* - something that Signal people never prioritized and always rather pushed their sometimes horrible preferences down peoples throats.