Post #2256316

2026-01-24 20:44 UTC

Friendly reminder that Signal—while maybe not perfect—is a much better choice for communication than RCS, especially if you are communicating anything sensitive. Doubly true if you are on iOS or communicating with anyone who is, as Apple still does not even use end-to-end encryption for RCS like Google does on Android. https://signal.org/download/

Replies (11)

@korbs@social.sudovanilla.org 2026-01-24 21:12

@cassidy@mastodon.blaede.family Google Play Service is required for RCS support on Android, so if you don't have that on your Android phone like me, then you should be using Signal.

Open ##3119074
@TheLastOfHisName@beige.party 2026-01-24 21:42

@cassidy@mastodon.blaede.family also a reminder: you can set your messages to auto delete /self destruct. Probably be a good idea.

Open ##3119076
@MisuseCase@twit.social 2026-01-24 22:22

@cassidy@mastodon.blaede.family Apple Messages *does* have end-to-end encryption but only if you enable Advanced Data Protection and the other parties in the conversation have it enabled too. Signal, though, just does the thing.

Open ##3119077
@Heliograph@mastodon.au 2026-01-24 22:26

@cassidy@mastodon.blaede.family see https://matrix.org #matrix #messaging #decentralised #communication

Open ##3119080
@edensocial@mastodon.social 2026-01-24 22:32

@cassidy@mastodon.blaede.family not perfect, but its pretty good (TM). Talking about "pretty good", I strongly recommend reading Signals creator article about PGP called 'PGP and me'. On another note, last time I checked (December), Signal (and by extension [or the other way around]), Whatsapp, have a 'vulnerability' that allows users to pretty much just check if you are using your phone. https://github.com/gommzystudio/device-activity-tracker

Open ##3119084
@robert@cornershop.network 2026-01-24 22:37

@cassidy@mastodon.blaede.family @motoridersd@pug.ninja Not all RCS implementations on Android are E2EE, either. RCS encryption on Android Messages is specific to Google extensions and their own servers. Device manufacturers that don't ship Google's version of the messaging app (yet still support RCS) don't get encryption, either.

Open ##3119085
@zed@mstdn.party 2026-01-24 23:04

@cassidy@mastodon.blaede.family Apple users using the Messages app defaults to iMessage with other iPhone users, which is end-to-end encrypted. Signal is still much better than iMessage tho, so your point stands.

Open ##3119088
@arcanechat@fosstodon.org 2026-01-24 23:27

@cassidy@mastodon.blaede.family instead of Signal, #DeltaChat is a much better alternative, super easy to use while decentralized, without requiring phone numbers or any private data at all, with good multi-device and multi-profile support (you can have as many profiles as you want without needing extra SIM cards, this makes it good for the kids of the family as well!) https://fosstodon.org/@arcanechat/115952631114870780

Open ##3119089
@dieweltist@bunt.social 2026-01-25 00:30

@cassidy@mastodon.blaede.family There is a lot of dangerous advice here for the assumed target audience. I'd recommend reading https://soatok.blog/2024/07/31/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-signal-competitor/ for those barging in with messenger recommendations.

Open ##3119090
@leanderlindahl@mastodon.social 2026-01-25 11:26

@cassidy@mastodon.blaede.family i too struggle to understand why people recommend Signal from Mountain View, CA in the context of European digital sovereignty. That won't help stimulate a European digital marketplace of excellent services under our own jurisdiction and tax code. It seems to be an amazing app, so it's not an issue of whether you like it. It's still US software. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_View,_California

Open ##3119091
@thesismum@norden.social 2026-01-25 19:00

@cassidy@mastodon.blaede.family Better: Use #Threema. One of the safest messengers so far and run via Swiss servers.

Open ##3119092