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I’ve been using Signal for about ten years. In the beginning, it was just my wife and me. Then I added a few Android tech friends. Eventually, I convinced a few more friends to join, but most of them left after a while. Later, I got some family members to try it, though they barely used it. Over time, I added more tech-savvy friends, then more local friends and family. Eventually, I started connecting with tons of online friends from Bitcoin Twitter and then Nostr. Even the friends and family who had left before came back. Now, Signal has become my main way of communicating with my family, several friend groups, and just about everyone except a few outlier RCS text chats. My point is: it takes time for people to migrate from one app to another. It can take years before adoption really takes hold. Apps like White Noise and others will have the same journey. Keep using them. Don’t stop. You’re on the right path.

Replies (21)

I did it differently: told all my contacts Iβ€˜d only be available at @Signal and deleted WhatsApp. Created several family / friends / colleagues groups and sent them invites. Posted interesting stuff on Signal and didn’t (couldn’t) reply anywhere else (didn’t even use SMS). I found you have to be brutal in cutting off and people move over quite quickly if you provide value. (Don’t FOMO, don’t flinch.) It’s totally normal now for all generations to only communicate on Signal. Next step: get them all on Nostr/SimpleX/Bitchat… πŸ’₯ View quoted note β†’
Some years ago I left WhatsApp even for work. A few years later, all work groups migrated to signal due to safety and security concerns. (I did not had any part in promoting the migration). All international partners also migrated for related projects. It was not an organizational policy. A group of people decided to upgrade the tools used on a daily basis. Today, most of my relevant contacts are on signal. (Althow most only use it for work)
I'm from Norway and see the same development there, more and more of my friends are using Signal, which is great. There are probably several reasons for that, but one of them is that I have become unreachable on all other messaging platforms (except WhatsApp unfortunately)... Also, closest family members use Signal because they know that's the only place they get photos of my kids. I currently live in Argentina, and this place is completely saturated by WhatsApp. I have never made a phonecall or sent a message to anyone, personal or business, outside WhatsApp. I can't see Signal standing much of a chance to reach any meaningful adoption here outside the tech and privacy hardliners.