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Moving to Signal is hard

because it's a social move, not a real technical one.

In my social circle, I use the following text exchanging technologies when it comes to small messages : 

  • SMS
  • WhatsApp
  • Signal
  • Email

These make up probably more than 90% of all my communications. For more geekier ones, like open source contributions and professional ones, add slack, matrix and IRC. I don't use any other protocols.

Most of my personal communications are done over WhatsApp : Family group, Sports for the kids groups. One group I'm not part of still uses FB messenger.

Over the years, I've tried hard to move off WhatsApp. The issue is that Signal doesn't offer anything besides privacy that would make people move from WhatsApp. You can create groups, send images etc. People do not understand or care about the privacy implications of using WA. The recent addition of the AI circle in WA didn't change a thing. WA is everywhere, everyone has it. Signal is not installed by default, people will need to install it.

I've been successful at using signal still when creating new groups for instance. If a new group is being created, I refuse WA, I explain why signal is so much better, I go on and create the group, I then add people and make them admin so they feel at home this as worked for :

  • Virtual table-top player's group
  • Work alumni group

 It also works with individual people, you reply faster on signal than anywhere else they'll use signal with you. This worked with the manager of the kindergarten I'm the head of, diverse pen and paper RPG gamers. It worked with my wife and bigger son. I sometime send Signal invites and sometimes it works. It's slow, but more people are using it.

I have tried to convince the people using WA at scale (kids sports group), but they are very happy that WA works better than SMS groups and as it works they are afraid of breaking a momentum by trying to push people to signal.

One, I'm not able to move of WA, is my family group. We got momentum 2 years ago when WA changed it's GCU. I created a group, invited most of the WA participants, but usage didn't come. Recently, with the advent of the AI button, one cousin starting using it. 

This sparked the want to try again to move, so I posted an invitation to the family group in the family group and people clicked the link and joined. Then it sparked a conversation on WA about which one was better. I'm now trying to keep the momentum and conversations on Signal. The plan here is that people will remember to use Signal because it's more active.

What's your strategy to move to people you like off WhatsApp to Signal? 

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