Why iMessage is the best instant messenger for iPhone. Secure messenger. Review of the most secure messengers
Numerous messengers today have become more popular than social networks and SMS. They are used both for personal correspondence and as a work tool. In this article we will talk about the pros and cons of the most popular instant messengers for iPhone and iPad.
1. WhatsApp
Advantages
Availability for most existing operating systems. This means that regardless of device, you can connect with your loved ones and colleagues.
Huge user base: more than one billion. This means that the vast majority have WhatsApp and there will be no problems with communication.
Stable operation even with a weak Internet connection.
Unlike many other instant messengers, registration is not required to log in: just enter your phone number.
Use of technology end-to-end encryption. Your correspondence is encrypted, and even the creators of WhatsApp cannot decipher it.
Flaws
There is no possibility to make video calls.
Up to 100 users can communicate in a group chat at the same time.
There is no client for iPad.
Developer/Publisher: WhatsApp Inc.
Download WhatsApp for iPhone or iPad:[free on the App Store]
2. Telegram Messenger
Advantages
Telegram Messenger is the most secure cross-platform messenger on this moment. This is a reliable means of communication that no hacker has been able to crack so far.
Group and public chats are available where you can discuss common topics.
There are many useful bots that are used for learning languages, notifications about weather and traffic jams, there are even simple games.
Numerous stickers are available and you can add your own.
Available on all existing operating systems, including on macOS and Windows.
High speed, even with a slow Internet connection.
Flaws
Low popularity in Russia.
Developer/Publisher: Telegram LLC
Download Telegram Messenger for iPhone or iPad:[free on the App Store]
3. Viber
Advantages
The second most popular messenger in the world. Its audience exceeds 600 million users, which means there will be no problems with interlocutors.
Works well even with weak internet.
There are various stickers for expressing emotions in correspondence. You can draw something and send the picture directly in the application.
There are public and thematic chats.
You can call any mobile phone and even landline number, but for an additional fee.
Flaws
Lack of encryption of correspondence.
Consumes quite a lot of traffic compared to competitors.
No more than 15 people can chat at the same time.
Developer/Publisher: Viber Media SARL.
Download Viber for iPhone or iPad:[free on the App Store]
4. Skype
Advantages
Flaws
Developer/Publisher: Facebook Inc.
Download Facebook Messenger for iPhone or iPad:[free on the App Store]
In addition to popular instant messengers, it is worth mentioning another service that does well in the corporate sector. This is about messenger Slack. It stands apart from the above services, offering enhanced opportunities for communication within the company.
Developer/Publisher: Slack Technologies, Inc.
Download Slack for iPhone or iPad: [
Security of personal data in Lately became big problem. There are many things in our lives that need reliable protection and, perhaps, first of all, these include personal correspondence. No matter what the creators of Whatsapp, Skype, iMessage say, we all know very well that our correspondence is stored on remote servers and at any time can be read and transferred “to whomever it should be.”
Cryptocat
Ping
- This free messenger for iOS from Russian developers who focus on maximum privacy. The program allows you to conduct a conversation in Snap Mode - the message history is not saved in it. It is also possible to delete the entire correspondence history not only on your device, but also for all recipients.
Unlike WhatsApp, Ping does not allow other users to find out your phone number. It is used only when you first launch the application to create an ID by which you can search for other users. All data is transmitted via an encrypted connection.
Ping also has its own special feature. The application allows you to force the interlocutor to pay attention to you using sound signal. This function is called Ping.
The program is in Russian, but after the first opening you may notice a funny error in the application. The user is prompted to swipe the screen to the left to read the help, when in fact they need to swipe to the right.
The application has a simple and clear design, performed on gray background. The program can be downloaded for free from App Store, the version for Android is promised to be launched in the near future.
Confide
Messenger, in which messages are deleted immediately after being read, was developed by former AOL employees. “Words spoken disappear as soon as they are heard. But what you say online stays forever. We think this is crazy,” say the authors of Confide.
The application implements protection against screenshots - the message is revealed gradually when you drag your finger along the line, and the read words are hidden again. Once read, the data is deleted from the device and servers. Messages can be sent not only within the application, but also to email address user, and also send to a group of recipients at once. Finally, the user can receive read reports on their messages. However, the app does not have a photo sharing feature.
Developers say Confide is different from Snapchat and others similar programs with "disappearing" messages as users communicate through addresses Email, and not through telephone contacts.
ChatSecure
ChatSecure is free application with open source code for communicating with users from Google Talk/Hangouts, Facebook Chat, Dukgo, Jabber, etc. All your correspondence will be completely protected: even logs cannot be recorded or captured by third parties.
ChatSecure works in background no more than 10 minutes, and then turns off. But a minute before this event occurs, the application warns with a message. If you look away from the conversation for more than ten minutes, the interlocutor will see that the person has gone offline. The exchange of encrypted messages is possible only if the interlocutors are online.
The disadvantage of ChatSecure is that the application does not report incoming encrypted messages if the user's status is offline.
Heml.is
A project from the co-founder of torrent tracker The Pirate Bay is under development. Distinctive feature This application for iPhone will ensure strict confidentiality of correspondence. The service must provide users with the exchange of encrypted messages that cannot be intercepted by the KGB, NSA, FBI and other intelligence agencies.
Heml.is in its test version uses special system encryption to prevent a third party, including an Internet service provider or government, from intercepting messages in transit. “We decided to create a messaging platform where no one can spy on you, not even ourselves,” Sunde said.
The application itself will be shareware. Basic functionality (including tracking protection) will be available to all Heml.is users, and some additional functions, such as image sharing, will only be in the paid version.
It is necessary to spend $100,000 to improve the application. The money will go towards programmers' salaries. Users who are willing to donate a minimum of $5 will receive a code to unlock the trial version of the application and other bonuses, depending on the size of the donation.
Beginning with today, we are starting a series of editorial articles, the main task of which is to create an updated top best apps for iOS and Android in various categories. App Store And Play Market
- that's two largest store applications in the world. They have their own tops, each application has its own page with screenshots, brief reviews users and semi-fair assessments. In App Store applications carefully (sometimes too carefully) moderated, in the Play Market everyone is free to post their creations, but this does not help at all to a simple user make a choice. I’m not talking now about the mastodons of the mobile movement, who are fluent in all new trends and trends. I mean ordinary users who, sometimes, see this or that platform for the first time. Every week one of our esteemed authors will provide a new category, and as new applications are released, these topics will be updated, so you will always be in the know. up-to-date information. So today we'll start with iOS and the lively topic of communication.
After all, we all communicate. Every day and a lot. It’s no longer a secret that the number of SMS messages sent is already significantly less than the number emails. And when it comes to virtual communication, SMS and correspondence, then eternal bickering arises about which messenger is better. And it is impossible to give a definite answer to this question. Approximately the answer to the question “Which platform is better?” - to each his own and there is no universal answer. But we tried to compile the TOP best. Let me make a reservation right away - all applications are free, but may include in-app purchases. The rating was based on the opinions of members of the editorial board.
VK App
Social network No. 1 among the Russian-speaking population. And that says a lot. This is a full-fledged social network and its client has all the functions that a simple user might need to communicate online and exchange opinions.Messaging is fast and easy. In addition to the standard text, photos and emoticons, we can add an audio recording, document and geolocation indicating some data. The set includes hundreds of different emoticons, so everyone can bring a certain amount of emotion to their messages. At the time of writing, there were some interruptions in the availability of the application in the App Store. It regularly disappeared from the catalog and then reappeared. Let's hope this is a temporary process. After all, the audience of vk.com is simply huge and despite the actual sale social network, it continues to develop.
The only downside to this app is that it was removed from the App Store. Temporarily or permanently is still unknown. But I’m sure many were one of the first to install it additional applications from the App Store.
Google Hangouts
Cross-platform Hangouts is Google's attempt to enter the messaging market. And very good try, I want to note. If you consider what fate usually awaits such projects from Google. Until recently, as you know, we even broadcast Trashcast using this platform. Now we use this service to record streams and conduct online broadcasting. Free access and the ability to broadcast live on YouTube - what else is needed for such purposes? Among other things, Hangouts supports all the usual messenger functions - group chat, sending photos/videos and emoticons.
But at the same time, I can’t say that this service is very popular. It is likely that this is due to the common concerns of users and the company’s reputation as a fan of shutting down its services at the most unexpected moments. On the other hand, the service is still young, and with such functionality as video calls + the exclusive ability to stream on YouTube, success can be expected. We advise you to take advantage of this opportunity, especially since all users of Android devices have Hangouts installed by default. Among other things, there is also a desktop client.
Telegram
A project by Pavel Durov, the creator of VKontakte, focused on the word " privacy". End-to-end encryption, no saving of messages on the server, self-destruct timer text messages And graphic key. All this and more awaits you in this messenger for paranoids. If privacy is really important to you and you are worried about the idea that the PRISM project is watching you, then this messenger may become your favorite. Registration in the application is quite simple and formalized according to tradition. The application supports the same emoticons/photos/videos/documents, etc., but puts the main emphasis on security. The developers even organized a competition to successfully hack correspondence. So far no one has managed to do this.In principle, you can use this messenger like any other - send and receive messages, do not worry about the person’s absence online, because the application gives you unlimited amount places in cloud storage to store your correspondence. You can create group chats for 100 people and take part in some discussions. Or you can use the main feature of this application - Secure Chat. This creates an encrypted connection. Each of you has a graphic key, by checking which you can be sure that the chat is available only to the two of you and no one will be able to wedge into the discussion along the entire length of the traffic path. In addition, Push notifications will not contain the recipient, so even if your phone is lying on the table and someone sends you a message, no one will be able to read even the name of the author. And if you set the self-destruct timer for correspondence, then the SMS will be destroyed a few seconds after being read. We hope you will not use this application for arms trafficking or extremist activities.
Viber
Popular messenger, which is not in vain acquired the second name “Skype killer”. Featuring a simple authorization mechanism and support for audio calls, this lightweight messenger has already gained popularity among more than 250 million people. But first things first.
The program interface is Russified and very easy to learn. Registration occurs by sending to your number mobile phone special confirmation code. In principle, even an iPod can thus become a completely relevant device for calls and correspondence. In addition to text, you can send your interlocutor voice recording, sticker, emoticon, photo/video, geolocation or drawing. At the same time, the sending speed, with good connection, virtually instantaneous. Besides regular messages, the application supports VoIP calls between application subscribers. When you register in the application, it pulls up all your contacts and analyzes mobile numbers, who this application already installed. This way you don’t have to ask the person every time if he has Viber. And when one of your friends registers on Viber, you receive a Push notification.
The quality of communication is excellent. It feels like your interlocutor is standing behind you. This is the same AudioHD that our operators cannot achieve. At the same time, the fact that it is free remains important. of this service. Undoubtedly, the application needs to financially support its existence. That's why you'll find menus like the Sticker Shop, where for a couple of dollars you can choose a unique sticker to send to your friends.
The application is completely cross-platform. Even Bada owners will be able to try the pleasant functionality of Viber. There are also desktop clients for various platforms, which have a simple and informative interface that will allow you to enjoy communication with your friends without thinking about platform restrictions. The only downsides include, perhaps, the lack of server storage of message history (but you can send it to yourself by email), inability to adapt to iOS 7, and occasional disconnections during VoIP calls. But who will seriously take these as disadvantages?
Until recently, WhatsApp was completely free, allowing users to grow exponentially. But then the developers began to have problems with financing and they announced a transition to a subscription format - a dollar per year. It seems not so expensive for one user, but this caused serious dissonance. Therefore, it was decided to introduce a subscription only for new users, but this idea was left behind. The application has a huge audience and it is growing every day. Recommended for installation. For those who have the question “Where are the smaliks?”: Settings (of your iOS devices) - Basic - Keyboard - Keyboards - New keyboards... - look for “Emoji” and add. Voila.
Facebook Messenger
A small offshoot of Facebook that allows you to more or less adequately communicate with the world through the world's most popular social network. Why not the client himself? The answer will be simple and probably very subjective - because the native client was created with one purpose - to make communication with the world as difficult as possible through the most popular social network on planet Earth.Yes, Facebook was the most popular and in a convenient way interaction and communication with friends. But over time, the interface became more complex, the network became overgrown with functions and advertising like a monster, implementation and association took place facebook account with every kettle and vacuum cleaner, and now the brainchild of Mark Zuckerberg has a very difficult and not always clear interface. But let's not talk about that. Our task is the messenger. And here, oddly enough, everything is very minimalistic, simple and clear. Emoticons, stickers, photos and a bunch of in-app purchases at every turn. Facebook lovers will love it and highly recommend it. This will save your nerves from the arbitrariness of Push notifications from your native client. And for others... after all, we have VK.com and it is unlikely that Facebook will ever be able to overcome the popularity level of VKontakte in the CIS countries.
Confide
In general, the paranoid sentiments that began to circulate among minds more and more often after Snowden’s sensational statements influenced the industry in a very understandable and predictable way. All companies began to talk about security at once personal information, applications began to come out that block/protect/hide all kinds of access. People began installing them uncontrollably. And this is, perhaps, the reason why Telegram has become one of the world leaders in terms of messaging. But now we are talking about another application, which to some extent copies, and to some extent complements the functionality of the brainchild of Pavel Durov.
Another crypto-secret analogue of Telegram is the Confide chat application. The developers' motto is “Our words disappear as soon as they are heard. But what you said online stays here forever. We think this is incorrect." And in this application the developers really showed interesting solution protecting your correspondence not only from interceptions along the byte path but also protection from unauthorized creation of screenshots. The essence of the protection is that each message is closed from reading until you swipe across the screen. Once the message is read, it is instantly deleted. All this was successfully spotted on Telegram and diluted with a fresh idea with swipe.
Skype
And finally, swallowed up by the soulless Microsoft, this video messaging service is confidently losing its supporters every year. Of course, the service is cross-platform, and at one time gained incredible popularity, but if it were not for the ability to make calls to any phone numbers, using a Skype account, this service would no longer exist. The magnitude of Microsoft's agony can be determined by remembering the New Year's promotion, when premium accounts were given to everyone for several years. But let's talk about the messenger itself.In the iOS mobile client, when communicating with your friends, you can send them emoticons and... that's it. Yes, oddly enough, no other functionality is implemented in the application. Undoubtedly, the desktop client wins in this regard, thanks to its function of sending an attached file, but why is this “innovation” not implemented in mobile version- not known. So why did this application make it to our top? Firstly, this is still one of the most popular ways to talk with a person “face to face”, because until recently there was simply no cross-platform service for video calls. And FaceTime is absolutely useless when making calls to Android devices. Thus, Skype has a huge number of users, and if we remember all the brakes of this messenger, then we can say that I was not mistaken with the turnover. It's also worth mentioning that the 2014 app update made Push Notifications available when the app is offline.
In our opinion, Skype is the worst implementation of an IM client of all possible, problems with delivering messages to an offline contact, duplicating the display of already read messages on other devices, a lot of brakes - all this makes you think about giving up Skype. Last place Skype deserves to be in our top list only because he continues to use it a large number of Human.
This concludes the current TOP of the best instant messengers for iOS in mid-2014. But the problem “Which messenger should I use?” not allowed. After all, each of you has many friends who use what they are used to - WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook, Line, WeChat and other niche solutions. And transfer everyone to unified system, which will be as cross-platform and as rich as possible - a task that is extremely difficult to implement. But it is quite possible that we will soon see such a monopolist.
Personal data security has become a big issue recently. There are many things in our lives that need reliable protection and, perhaps, first of all, personal correspondence is one of them. No matter what the creators of Whatsapp, Skype, iMessage say, we all know very well that our correspondence is stored on remote servers and can be read and transferred to “the right person” at any time.
Cryptocat
Ping
is a free messenger for iOS from Russian developers who focus on maximum privacy. The program allows you to conduct a conversation in Snap Mode - the message history is not saved in it. It is also possible to delete the entire correspondence history not only on your device, but also for all recipients.
Unlike WhatsApp, Ping does not allow other users to find out your phone number. It is used only when you first launch the application to create an ID by which you can search for other users. All data is transmitted via an encrypted connection.
Ping also has its own special feature. The application allows you to force the interlocutor to pay attention to you using a sound signal. This function is called Ping.
The program is in Russian, but after the first opening you may notice a funny error in the application. The user is prompted to swipe the screen to the left to read the help, when in fact they need to swipe to the right.
The application has a simple and clear design, made on a gray background. The program can be downloaded for free from the App Store, and a version for Android is expected to be launched in the near future.
Confide
Messenger, in which messages are deleted immediately after being read, was developed by former AOL employees. “Words spoken disappear as soon as they are heard. But what you say online stays forever. We think this is crazy,” say the authors of Confide.
The application implements protection against screenshots - the message is revealed gradually when you drag your finger along the line, and the read words are hidden again. Once read, the data is deleted from the device and servers. Messages can be sent not only within the application, but also to the user’s email address, and can also be sent to a group of recipients at once. Finally, the user can receive read reports on their messages. However, the app does not have a photo sharing feature.
The developers say Confide is different from Snapchat and other similar "disappearing" message programs because users are connected through email addresses rather than phone contacts.
ChatSecure
ChatSecure is a free, open-source application for communicating with users from Google Talk/Hangouts, Facebook Chat, Dukgo, Jabber, etc. All your correspondence will be completely protected: even logs cannot be recorded or captured by third parties.
ChatSecure runs in the background for no more than 10 minutes and then turns off. But a minute before this event occurs, the application warns with a message. If you look away from the conversation for more than ten minutes, the interlocutor will see that the person has gone offline. The exchange of encrypted messages is possible only if the interlocutors are online.
The disadvantage of ChatSecure is that the application does not report incoming encrypted messages if the user's status is offline.
Heml.is
The project from the co-founder of the torrent tracker The Pirate Bay is under development. A distinctive feature of this application for iPhone will be the strict secrecy of correspondence. The service must provide users with the exchange of encrypted messages that cannot be intercepted by the KGB, NSA, FBI and other intelligence agencies.
Heml.is, in its test version, uses a special encryption system to prevent a third party, including an Internet service provider or government, from intercepting forwarded messages. “We decided to create a messaging platform where no one can spy on you, not even ourselves,” Sunde said.
The application itself will be shareware. Basic functionality (including tracking protection) will be available to all Heml.is users, but some additional features, such as image sharing, will only be available in the paid version.
It is necessary to spend $100,000 to improve the application. The money will go towards programmers' salaries. Users who are willing to donate a minimum of $5 will receive a code to unlock the trial version of the application and other bonuses, depending on the size of the donation.
None of us want our messages to be read by others. Especially if these messages decide the fate of the deal and describe your business. Unfortunately, ordinary instant messengers do not encrypt text and do not have other means of protecting information, so you need to look for workarounds. Good way out The solution to the current situation is to download and install a secure messenger. Just a few years ago there were only a couple of them large companies, and now you can get confused in the variety of such applications. We tried to select the five best encrypted messengers, thereby making your choice as easy as possible.
Price: Free
This program was called the most secure by Edward Snowden himself, an expert in the field of privacy. The application is developed for both Android and iOS. It uses an advanced end-to-end encryption protocol to ensure that no one can access your messages. Anyone with programming skills can verify this. The fact is that Signal app Private Messenger is open source.
After installation this utility starts using your address book. The application does not have separate logins, passwords or PIN codes, which greatly simplifies its use. An interesting feature of the program is the ability to create encrypted groups - this allows you to communicate with all your friends at once. Signal Private Messenger also allows you to voice calls. Although the developers still place the greatest emphasis on text chat.
Price: Free
Perhaps the most secure messenger. Created by the well-known Pavel Durov, the founder of VKontakte. The application can be downloaded and installed absolutely free. The project is non-profit, it is supported by Pavel himself and through donations from other users. The program allows you to create group chats in which up to 200 people can participate!
All messages in Telegram are encrypted. And their self-destruct timer increases safety to the maximum high level. The service uses an open protocol. As for encryption, this process is entrusted to MTProto technology. Of course, all undestroyed messages are stored in data centers, but even there this information is stored in encrypted form. Moreover, each cluster is encrypted with a separate key, which is located in another cluster under a different jurisdiction. The use of servers helps users access their correspondence with different devices- your Telegram is available on Android, iOS and desktop Windows.
Price: Free
As befits any messenger aspiring to popularity, Chadder exists on all three of the most famous platforms. The program was created by six students at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The application encrypts outgoing messages and then transmits them to the recipient via the Tense Private Systems server. Before sending, the system locks the message, allowing it to be opened only once - when it reaches its destination.
There is no universal decryption key here. It is unique for each user. This makes Chadder seriously different from many other similar programs. The messenger can also automatically destroy messages whose lifespan has come to an end.
Wickr Me
Price: Free
Another safe way sending text messages. The project is distinguished by the fact that it is regularly improved and updated. For encryption, the standards used here are RSA4096TLD, AES256 and ECDH521. Neither attackers nor even overly smart acquaintances who enter into correspondence with you will be able to gain access to your data. Messages here are not stored on servers, which is also a plus for this application. Interestingly, the recipient of the message cannot save the text - via certain time it will definitely disappear from the smartphone’s memory. After what time the destruction occurs is indicated by the sender.
The received message appears in the notification panel, but you can only read it in the messenger by entering your password. To communicate, you will need to create an account, but this will take no more than two minutes. In total, approximately 4 million people chose the Wickr Me service.
