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iMessage has many options, most of which are completely cross-platform. If you want to communicate securely with your friends using Windows or Android, here are the best options — and what are the limitations of each option?
Each of the following apps provides text, voice, video messaging, and sending and receiving files. In addition, all apps mentioned must provide at least some end-to-end encryption.
We strongly recommend that you use this list as a jump-off platform and research each messaging app. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, which may work for one person, but not for another.
It’s also important to remember that all platforms are vulnerable to attack, no matter how secure they claim to be. For this reason, avoid sharing personal information such as social security numbers and credit card numbers between apps.
And remember. If you don’t say or do anything in public, it’s wise not to send it over the internet. Even if it is encrypted.
iMessage and FaceTime
It’s likely that you’re already part of the Apple ecosystem, so let’s summarize what iMessage can and cannot do for you.
IMessage is a great way to send text, files, video clips, audio snippets, and more to Apple users. It provides end-to-end encryption, syncs between iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches, without the need to download and create new accounts.
However, there are considerable restrictions. This only works for other Apple users using the iMessage system. So you can use your iPhone on Android to send messages, but you can’t send messages via iMessage.
Instead, it will be sent via SMS. That is, messages, files, and images are not encrypted. Therefore, if you know that the message is being sent as a green bubble instead of blue, you know that the message was not sent securely.
FaceTime is Apple’s audio and video messaging app, which also uses end-to-end encryption. Unlike iMessage, you can use FaceTime with people who aren’t using Apple devices.
This feature is called FaceTime Link and was introduced in iOS 15. Anyone with browser access can join a FaceTime call.
signal
Signal has the following name: the A privacy-focused messaging platform. Available on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.
Signal is a non-profit organization and is not owned by a tech giant like WhatsApp. Theoretically, this means that Signal needs to be less impacted by larger platforms.
Signal requires the user to enter a phone number, which is often not ideal. However, phone numbers are personally identifiable and can often be used to find an individual’s home address, work place, and so on.
It’s possible to set up a Signal using a Google Voice number, but it’s still not a completely anonymous way to interact with others.
With a base of over 2 billion active users, WhatsApp is a popular choice for cross-platform messaging apps. It’s available for iOS and Android, and for Windows and macOS if your smartphone is nearby.
WhatsApp provides end-to-end encryption to prevent malicious attackers from easily accessing previous conversations. In addition, conversations stored in the cloud are encrypted.
Like most messaging apps, WhatsApp doesn’t tell you if the person you’re messaging has taken a screenshot of the conversation. So if you don’t want someone to share a screenshot of what you sent, don’t send it in the first place.
However, WhatsApp may not be the most secure. For example, if you’re sending a message to your business account, WhatsApp can access the conversation, but the user doesn’t immediately know.
In addition, WhatsApp requires users to connect a phone number to their account, which is visible to everyone who connects. For this reason, we do not recommend minors to use WhatsApp.
telegram
Telegram is another app known for promising a ton of security features to its users. It can be used on most devices such as Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Linux. This allows users to use their username and is preferred by those who don’t want to give out their phone number.
However, there are some things to worry about. Telegram cannot encrypt group messages end-to-end. Also, the message is not encrypted by default. If the message is encrypted, you cannot access the message from multiple devices.
Telegram is equivalent to WhatsApp, but you don’t have to use a phone number. It’s not the safest thing in the world, but its ease of use and availability of a wide range of platforms make it a good choice.