[jxi]

Signal has probably the worst UX of any messaging app. It also used to require sharing phone numbers to add contacts, which imo is already a privacy violation.

Telegram is fast, responsive, gets frequent updates, has great group chat, tons of animated emojis, works flawlessly on all desktop and mobile platforms, has great support for media, bots, and a great API, allows edits and deleting messages for all users, and I really like the sync despite it not being e2e.

[jwells89]

You’re also not stuck with the official client and all of its decisions like with Signal. In addition to the official Qt and Swift/Cocoa Telegram clients, you can find third party clients written in WinUI and GTK as well as a CLI client, which gives users the choice to use the one that fits their wants/needs best.

I use both on desktop for different people and the desktop Signal client doesn’t hold up well in comparison. In some ways it feels more clunky than the iMessage ancestor iChat did 20 years ago.

[p4bl0]

> Signal has probably the worst UX of any messaging app

Really? I don't see any real difference between the UX of WhatsApp and Signal for example. And they're really on-par feature wise.

The only things in your list that are not available on Signal are "tons of animated emojis" and "bots". Recently they also introduced usernames to keep your phone number private. And Signal have had all the other things for a few years now, and with actual security.

[nobita]

> It also used to require sharing phone numbers to add contacts, which imo is already a privacy violation.

https://signal.org/blog/phone-number-privacy-usernames/

Signal doesn't require sharing of phone numbers

[zuhsetaqi]

> Signal doesn't require sharing of phone numbers

It does require a phone number to create an account. That’s the reason I do not consider it being private because at least in Germany a phone number can only be activated by using a personal ID card which it is connected to.

[StrLght]

Private and anonymous are two very different things

[zuhsetaqi]

> Private and anonymous are two very different things

They’re going hand in hand as soon as there’s a data breach or a back door

[ThePowerOfFuet]

Signal also allows edits and deletions.

[jxi]

I haven't used Signal in a while, so I probably misremember some of what it supported. I just looked it up though and Signal's delete feature seems to leave a "This message was deleted" placeholder like what Facebook Messenger does, which looks a bit annoying to me (https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360050426432-De...). Telegram just directly removes the message for everyone.

[crtasm]

But with the benefit that it prevents situations where responses to the deleted message appear to have a completely different context and meaning.

[WaitWaitWha]

the "message was deleted" can also be deleted, leaving nothing. :)

[throwuxiytayq]

Telegram consumes up to 50% of battery charge on iOS, with practically zero daily usage, all energy saving settings enabled, and a single followed channel, whether or not I force close the app or reinstall it. I gave up on trying to make it work, merely installing the fucking app ensures my phone is dead in the morning.

[kaba0]

That sounds like a bug in your OS. Like, even if the app were doing something crazy, it shouldn’t eat that much memory.

[seanhunter]

That absolutely does not happen to me. I have it installed and don't use it (at all) and my battery life is fine.

[niutech]

You can use Telegram Web.

[misiek08]

I have group of 15 friends using it and it barely uses 2% of battery while using it. Either you are just spreading misinformation or you should check your phone for custom wires added by the bad guys.

13 people on iOSes, iPhones from 11s to 15 Pro; 2 Androids.

[tamimio]

> allows edits and deleting messages for all users

And it has those little features like masked text and what not, features wise, telegram is just the best. I didn’t use Signal for a long time, you can’t edit the messages there!?

[mrln]

Yes, you can.

[aftbit]

Yeah you can?

[maqp]

>It also used to require sharing phone numbers to add contacts

It no longer doesn't. It took them a while because you can't just slap features like that. It's not a string in a database like with Telegram.

Telegram has great UX because you can build things fast and easy when you don't have to give two shits about the security side of things. You can cover that part with grass-roots marketing department and volunteering shills.

[mikrotikker]

With just 30 staff