Most used encrypted messenger besides Signal, Whatsapp, iMessage, and RCS?

SimpleX

matrix. it's not perfect, but it's the least shit option i've found so far. in the poorly paraphrased words of bjarne stroustrup, "there are only two kinds of chat protocols: the ones people complain about, and the ones nobody uses"

What do I use the most or what do people use the most? I use Matrix the most as most of my friends are on it (+ have it bridged with some chats that aren't on Matrix). Then after that SimpleX. I don't know what the most popular encrypted messengers among the general population, except for the ones you listed, are.

Matrix/Element :)

I may not know much about software development & programming itself however, I feel like I did my part here.

+1 for Linux folks.
- Awesome! Thank you for that!
This! With bridges you can even have all your chats from different chat networks in one app.
- Exactly! Thats my next step :)

Matrix, Briar, SimpleX, Threema

I wish I could use Matrix on my phone without it eating my battery 🫤
This is the way.

XMPP with OMEMO?

Out of curiosity, what's wrong with signal?

Requires a phone number

Depends on Big Tech's servers

Got founded by the US government

Seems to absolutely love Big Tech because they hide the APK download page quite well[1]

It's centralized

I use my own Snikket server to communicate with people using OMEMO (Signal Protocol). No phone number requirements, no centralized server, no Big Tech, just you and the people you write with, with your privacy fully intact. Just like in the good old days (as it should be to this days, greedy f*****s).

[1]: signal.org/download > Android redirects you to Google Play Store. signal.org/download/android > Download for Android redirects you to Google Play Store. signal.org/install redirects you to Google Play Store. You'll search "forever" to find the "download APK file" link until you give up and using a search engine: "signal apk".

Not until then you'll find signal.org/android/apk. And when you visit that page, a link to Google Play Store is listed on top, and below it, in the "danger zone", you'll find the APK download button. Yes, exactly, the Signal team wants you to be on the "safe zone" by downloading the app through Google Play Store.

"focus on privacy" my ass. Close to forcing someone to use Big Tech shitty stuff is NOT focus on privacy.

Sorry, rant is over. Now breakfast time.
- Thanks for the info! All good points. I'll keep snikket bookmarked for when I'm more competent in my server/self-hosting abilities and revisit how I chat.
- What is the difference with xmmp , conversations , prosody?
- how's the chat history with snikket? I had issues with prosody, namely multiple devices coming and going and maintaining the same chat history between all of them, as well when there's a disconnect (device gone forever, new device connects)
  
  just skimmed their confusing web site, it's free for selfhosting, right?
aside from the dogshit UX and the uber reliance on Evilcorp's infra, having more than two devices (I know, shocker in this day and age!), the arduous migration process to a new device, the limited chat history (I think it's 40ish days) and many more.

same way Telegram adamantly refuses to implement E2EE, and not only that, it actively prevents 3rd party devs (a number of clients are FOSS) from implementing it on their own.

both PJ Harvey and durov respond the same way when asked about any of them things - smokescreens, FUD, whataboutisms, etc.

any of them things woulda been acceptable in 2015, here's a PoC looking for funding, limited devs and resources; remember TextSecure and RedPhone? nowadays, they are nothing short of malicious.
For example, some people don't like that it's centralized. It's not like e-mail, where you can register with any provider and then cross-communicate. Moxie wrote more about this here
- Understood. Thank you. It'd been some time since I've scrutinized Signal. It was a set-it and forget-it type situation.

Wrong, WhatsApp and iMessage fail to include a libre software license text file. We do not control them, anti-libre software. They ban us from fixing backdoors. Stop repeating their scam.

??? What does that have to do with what OP asked
- Encrypted? Not for us, when we do not control it.

I can't even get my social circle to switch from WhatsApp to Signal, let alone anything else. I use Conversations, a feature rich XMPP client for select stuff.

https://lemmy.world/post/21620691
- I essentially did this with Facebook. People still fucking contact me on Messenger.
- while i agree, i figure most people would be really annoyed with this

I have tried them all, I just use XMPP through Cheogram (mobile) and Movim (desktop in browser) now. I have had success getting my contacts to switch since I never bugged them about any other messengers before. Plus I am willing to follow through with ultimatums of abandonment and they are well aware of that.

If you have any actually normal friends (no offense) you're going to have to use the regular phone network. XMPP has the best phone network gateway, I've bought like five Soprani.ca numbers. No it doesn't encrypt the regular phone network.

Delta/Arcane Chat is cool but due to everyone basically being an admin-level user in the chat, I strictly use it as a home base for real homies. I mainly use it to run one gajillion bots, check my emails, run Mastodon/Misskey fork accounts in one location, and send stuff/WebXDC apps to myself.

You can't seriously replace the social media monopolies or the phone network yet. I even run some Telegrams (don't make fun of me) and control them with the Delta Chat bot. People just need to get used to "backing up" their social graph with secure options, and not just saying whatever pops into their head outside them

Me? XMPP.

Most used? Depends in what circles. Telegram is popular in some. SimpleX and Session in others. XMPP in free software circles. Matrix in others.

Telegram should not be considered an encrypted solution, due to the opt-in nature of their encryption. The owner regularly collaborates with law enforcement, as well.

Signal.

"besides Signal..."
- Signal provides all the privacy I need, and it’s nowhere near as skeezy as most of the alternatives mentioned in the comments here. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing better, but if OP would like to detail their objections to it, I’d be happy to hear them.

Matrix/Element

Wire.

Matrix is the only one I actually use other than the rest.

There is also XMPP, SimpleX, Threema, Briar, cwtch, Tox, and Delta Chat.

Just "encrypted"? Probably iMessage.

Besides your list? Matrix via element or elementX. I've been test driving arcane chat, which is decent enough, but too new to be widely used enough to really say much.

Signal. SimpleX is my backup.

None of these are verifiably private. SimpleX, Matrix and PGP encrypted messages (you can use any messenger here) are some truly private options.

I believe matrix can leak metadata.
No forward secrecy with PGP.

I use Jami and Session. Interested to check out SimpleX Chat though.

Concersations.im. It's my backup because it supports OMEMO and OpenPGP.

Besides that, Element (Matrix). I use it for its public rooms.

Kind of ironic to use a private messenger that requires a Google account.
- Huh? Which messenger requires a Google account? I've been using both Element and Conversations on Google-free Android devices with accounts not connected to Google for years.

I use SimpleX most often. I use Matrix fairly often, too, but none of the rooms I frequent are encrypted.

iMessage and Threema

I would guess Telegram if the users hit the toggle wherever it's not default. After what you've listed and Telegram, I'd guess Matrix/Element