[01635]

I tried asking my parents to switch to Signal, but it did not fly. They are in their 70s and are used to WhatsApp. They don't care about privacy.

My Mom yelled at me for endorsing Signal to her. She said: "All my friends are on WhatsApp. I don't want to install another app just because of one person."

[leokennis]

My strategy is: tell them I will be leaving WhatsApp, and they can reach me on Signal.

If they don’t care enough to install a free app to talk to me, good riddance.

[selfhoster11]

This is a good strategy for burning bridges that don't have to be burnt (and I mean between friends, not just random acquaintances who you don't care for). It's better to gradually shift person-by-person so that you don't lose relationships.

[sumtechguy]

I have been through this 'transition' about 4 times now on other applications. "oh I do not use that one anymore I use XYZ" when it comes up and offer to help them setup a new account. I then usually just fire it up for them for a small conversation right then but then turn it off. There is nothing wrong with having more than one application. Hell most of our phones are already running dozens of them. But at a point you grow weary of them. I used to use aggregator applications like trillian. But they always seem to be chasing the breakage or not able to interpolate at all.

In a couple of years it will be some other application that will be the top dog. "Hey what is your ICQ number?"

It also depends if you are considered a hub or spoke in your social circles. If you are a 'spoke' then getting others to change would be hard. If you are a 'hub' you have better success.

[leokennis]

Why? They can still reach me for free and with all convenience one could hope for.

[gtirloni]

Good luck saying good riddance to your immediate family.

[ericmay]

If you lose contact with your immediate family because of a messaging platform it's not really a great relationship that needs to be maintained anyway. You can visit, call, text, or email too.

[rcstank]

It's actually setting a healthy boundary. If they don't want to reach me on Signal, that's fine. There are other ways to talk to each other rather than text messaging.

[leokennis]

I’m hoping your family likes you more than they hate installing and setting up a dead simple to use and free app like Signal...

[proverbialbunny]

In response my sister just sms' me.

[millibar]

Haha, this is pretty much what i expect to hear from my mum who took year to figure out how to use WhatsApp

[system2]

Exactly. No one I know cares about privacy nor another app for other reasons. Whatever is popular they will use. Family members are already used to Whatsapp. It is nearly impossible to switch them to something else now.

[anentropic]

Funnily enough my story is the opposite - I don't care very much but my Dad (72) just announced to my brother and I that he's moving to Signal and we need to follow him over there...