The messenger service WhatsApp is said to have around two billion active users. It's difficult to find a product that could displace the market leader, isn't it? But one app has the potential.
WhatsApp was founded in 2009 and acquired by Facebook in 2014. The service is said to have recently broken the two billion active user mark. But what will happen to WhatsApp? Observers believe that a previously rather quiet player could provide serious competition. We are talking about "Signal". The messenger service "Signal" was founded in 2015 by Moxie Marlinspike and is part of a non-profit organization that is also supported by WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton. Acton is said to have invested around 50 million US dollars in the Signal Foundation after he left Facebook due to disputes with the management. This is reported Wired. A real challenge, right?
New developers, more features and data protection
Signal founder Marlinspike naturally used the new capital wisely by hiring more developers. The team will no longer consist of three but 20 developers. But what exactly makes the underdog so interesting, apart from its prominent supporter? Signal naturally masters end-to-end encryption. In addition, only "very little" user data is collected - according to the makers. The aim is to offer a messenger service that makes communication easier and offers interesting features, but at the same time always keeps an eye on data protection. Upcoming features also include the option of only viewing images or videos once. A new group chat system is also said to be in the works. According to Wired, work is also being done on a method that allows secure storage in the iCloud. All in all, "Signal" is said to have the potential to replace competitors such as WhatsApp in the long term. Whether this will actually succeed in the end remains to be seen, of course. Incidentally, unlike WhatsApp, there has been an iPad version of the app since the end of 2019. (Photo by bigtunaonline / Bigstockphoto)
