[herbst]

I don't really use signal, but there is a semi official API client you can use from the cli and integrate everywhere. Renting a throw away phone number costs a few cent (sorrily this reality for many services today)

While you literally can't use WhatsApp without your phone nearby.

Edit:// as for functionality no current IM can beat telegram except WeChat obviously

[SahAssar]

Doesn't signal and whatsapp let a new user of the same phone number take over the account? Both will in some ways show that the keys have changed, but if you rent a number and then that is returned to the pool of rentable numbers then someone else can effectively stop your access to the account.

Tying accounts to phone numbers is a design decision that is just plain wrong for anything that does not only run on a phone or anything that is supposed to identify a person rather than a phone number.