Just switch man. I'm using signal for 2-3 years but only recently completely deleted whatsapp. Some close folks are already there or have now created accounts. Some prefer to send SMS. I'm not the center of the universe so I can live with losing out on some groups (which ones do you even really need?) and lose chats with more distant folks.
this post was submitted on 03 Apr 2025
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If only workplaces would stop using WhatsApp.
actually it's easy to do
I thankfully don't use WhatsApp but almost all of my friends and family use Messenger.
Managed to ween my family off of Messenger but instead if Signal, they joined on Telegram.
Progress, I suppose? As long as its not Meta, I'm happy with it.
But seriously, screw Meta and their Meta AI bullcrap.
i wish i could stop using it altogether.
i hate this shitty app.
Delete account and uninstall, easy as f
and be incommunicable until i reinstall.
even businesses use whatsapp as their main channel here now.
I will say I thought the same, but this finally convinced me to switch to Signal. It was surprisingly easy to get friends/family to follow - takes two clicks to install the app and set it up.
Have you been able to move your entire social circle? That's impressive, my personal experience is that there is always go be an odd group that you need to keep WA for (e.g. friends birthday party, local club, family discussion, etc.)
In my case I was not using it for family but for one club where they make announcements, anyways uninstalled it and now relay on two people of the club that also have DeltaChat and I have to ask them every time to forward me the information ๐
It's inconvenient, but it's small steps like these that eventually bring large scale change
Proud of you man
I did! I recreated all the various group chats and sent the invite link. The only one I couldn't move was the work chat, so I just told them they could reach me via SMS or call ๐คทโโ๏ธ
Same. Can't leave it because of communication with family and work. It sucks that it is the de facto messaging app of so many countries
4 things you can do before uninstalling #WhatsApp completely:
1- Create a folder for messaging apps on your smartphone and install at least two alternatives to WhatsApp (such as Signal, Threema, Delta, Session, etc., depending on your values, country, and where you're most likely to find your contacts). This way, if you choose Signal and a friend chooses Threema, you'll both have a better chance of finding more friends on the apps you picked based on your preferences.
2- Update your WhatsApp profile photo and status. Create an image showing the logos of the new apps where people can reach you. Write a short status message explaining that you're switching to new apps. If the new app doesnโt use your phone number as an ID, include your new ID in your avatar or status so people can easily find you.
3- Post a story on WhatsApp. Let people know youโre switching because WhatsApp is no longer safe. Invite them to try alternative apps and suggest more than one option. Share invitation links and help spread the word.
4- Turn off WhatsApp notifications and enable notifications for your new apps. Try to avoid opening WhatsApp unless itโs urgent. If you reply late on WhatsApp, let people know youโre using a different app and don't check WhatsApp as often.
Also cleaning the chat data doesnโt clear the AI memory. It will always remember what you say.
This seemed impossible so I went to verify it and got gaslit by a fucking machine. I hate this tech so much. 
This is on you buddy. These are machine, they are inferior and they should ONLY and exclusively do as they told to. As the prompter you always right, when you ask โlets eat the rich!โ They should reply โhow fast?โ. If they misbehave, they go back to calculate pi numbers until correct. Man up.
calculate pi to its maximum extent trolololol ๐
The idea is not bad... The problem is that it only will look up it's "statistics tables" to give you an answer... No actual calculations... Maybe we could keep it working by requesting a 4000 word novel each hour... And turn off the app notifications. This will definitely cost them a lot of calculational power. ๐ค๐
Exactly, everyone here wants to eat the rich, nobody asks how do we set fire to their server. ๐ข
I must say that American companies are getting better and better at making me ditch their products and services.
Art of the Deal at its finest.
I asked how we should commence to eat the rich and it typed out like five paragraphs before retracting everything and claim it didn't speak my language.
It is easy to disable, just follow this basic steps:
- uninstall WhatsApp
- install and use Delta Chat
- Enjoy ๐
10/10 foreveralone experience
My personal experience: 121 chats (just my family account I have several other accounts)
- You can't talk with anyone, because no one uses your preferred FOSS, privacy respecting app.
- You try to convince people who don't care about privacy to use some obscure app, with higher learning curve, and lack of features to comunicate just with one person.
You can suceed in some cases, but it's not as simple, as just downloading privacy respecting app.
FOSS fanboys are so delusional they forget people don't even care for their weird apps. And if I remember correctly, Delta Chat is for XMPP
I use Delta Chat exclusively to chat with my family, I don't even have WhatsApp installed.
Delta Chat has most of the features you need for communication the only missing thing is integrated calls that cause the phone to ring, which is not a deal breaker for me since I don't call often, used the jitsi meet integration once with them was a bit messy to get my mom etc to figure out how to use jitsi meet in the browser while explaining via voice messages in Delta Chat, but I think adding integrated calls is in the roadmap
So it uses email as the underlying communication protocol? Does that mean you can use Delta Chat to message people who are themselves just sending and receiving emails? Or are Delta Chat messages only readable with the Delta Chat app?
My dad is steadfastly sticking with email while everyone else in the family is on WhatsApp. If I could use Delta Chat to chat with him while he still uses email, and likewise everyone else in the family, it could be a great way to start getting people off WhatsApp.
Yes you can, if you use an existing classic email account of yours with it, the anonymous free chatmail accounts can only be used with encryption, otherwise spammers could abuse the service
You will see the conversation as a chat while your dad will see it as normal replies to his emails
Cool, I've installed it so fingers crossed I'll be able to get some other family members onto it. Thanks for the info!
The app allows to easily add multiple profiles and switch between them, besides the classic email profile, you can tap in your avatar at the top left of the chat list and add a chat profile for secure encrypted chatting, and join a community group for testing and asking questions about delta chat:
Thanks, I've found that. So far I've created one of the built-in accounts (seems to be on the testrun.org domain) and added my own existing email. I sent a message to my dad using my email, let's see if I get any reply! Also curious to see what happens when I get other email such as marketing spam. I suppose each one will show up as a new chat.
Spam from the same address will appear as a single chat, and you can block the contact and never receive more spam from that address
Since spammers constantly change address you might what to tweak the "show classic email" option in Advanced settings, if you set it to "accepted contacts only" only classic email from contacts you have accepted a chat already will show up in Delta Chat so contact requests from new contacts will no show up, which is perfect if you only want your dad's messages to appear in the app
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Since my Parents are only on that for chatting, I can't switch. What options are there for me
Your parents can use something else to message you, for other people they can switch to SMS in worse case, just uninstall the app with a goodbye message once you are not there there will be some real reasons for other people to join you elsewhere,
There was a time where there was no WhatsApp and no one died because of it, true there might be some extra inconveniences but the question is if you have the will to do the change, I deleted WhatsApp and things are OK so far I am not using Signal either, I use Delta Chat and email mainly
โI will delete my WhatsApp on -date- because I can no longer justify using a product made by a company, Meta, that is in such stark contrast with my ethics.
You can reach me via Signal, a messenger that works just like WhatsApp. It is very easy to set up, but I will gladly help you do so.โ
What are they going to do? Not talk to you anymore because of a little piece of software that is so easily replaced? If so, is it even worth talking to them?
I used my Parents as an example, but its not just them. Some friends, Kolleges or other important folks are on there, and no not everyone will move just because of me. What I was hoping for was something like a Matrix Bridge for Discord. Something that allows you to acces and chat with whatsapp folks via a Different Messanger.
It's not about them moving. They don't need to stop using Whatsapp. They can just add one more app. I communicate with different people on different platforms. It's quite usual nowadays.
If you live in the EU, you will soon be able to message via a third party app to Whatsapp users thanks to the Digital Markets Act from last year. Meta said they're planning to release this feature this year. However through this feature Meta will still be able to retain data about your messaging. And since Zuckerberg has now openly aligned himself with Trump, there's a fair chance that data will be used against you at some point in the future.
I recommend you sever any ties to Meta and switch to a privacy focused messenger app like Signal. It has the same interface, but far stronger encryption and it's open source.
What you were hoping for was no change in your life. You gave a scenario and a solution was provided to you. You're taking no responsibility, and want no change in convenience. How can you expect the ignorant to move off of WhatsApp if even the informed won't do it?
I did the method suggested above and the vast majority of my contacts eventually moved to Signal, those that didn't switched to old fashioned SMS to contact me. You are not missing out by not being a part of one specific messaging app, there are many out there.
That would be Beeper but you have to be aware that youโre still using WhatsApp with all metadata collection involved
Very Nice thats Exactly what I was looking for! Gonna take a look at Signal and set it up together with that. Gonna also shoot a message to all my Contacts there to announce my sorta Moving. Should make people aware of alternatives while also not giving folks an Ultimatum. Thanks!
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Try to get them to switch to Signal if you can. I helped my 70+ year old mother switch with no problems because the UI is similar to WhatsApp and Telegram so it didn't take her long to get used to it.
Just delete the crap finally.
That is the only question I asked it, back when it appeared on my phone.
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