this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2025
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It's time to stop using SMS, here's why! (www.privacyguides.org)
submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Pretty much none of them cost money. SMS, however, does. So...pretty much the opposite of what you said.

[–] CameronDev 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Thats probably country dependant, SMS has been functionally free for a long time in Australia.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm not Australian but I'm fairly confident cell carriers aren't charitable organizations there...?

[–] CameronDev 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You pay for the phone plan, but all of them have unlimited SMS. So functionally, it's free.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

That's not free, it's part of the phone plan...

[–] CameronDev 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

A phone plan is required to use SMS. An internet connection is required to use WhatsApp/Signal/whatever. If the price of the phone plane has to be counted as the price of using SMS, then surely the price of the internet connection should be counted as the price of using Signal/WhatsApp?

Or, we could be realistic, and acknowledge that the majority of people already have phone plans and internet connections, and therefore SMS, WhatsApp, signal, etc are all functionally free.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

No. The internet connection is not part of the app. You can run the apps without paying for internet. You can run them entirely on WiFi if you really wanted to.

[–] CameronDev 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

And how much does WiFi cost?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 week ago

Depends on what WiFi you're using. It can be free.