The new terms and conditions change has many users the last drop delivered that broke the barrel. Anyone who did not agree to the new terms and conditions should no longer be allowed to use WhatsApp. WhatsApp has meanwhile the deadline extendedHowever, the communication disaster is perfect: users are migrating to Telegram and Signal in droves. Above all, Signal is a good alternative to Messenger from the Facebook universe – but how does the move to Signal work with as little data loss as possible?
1. Install the signal and invite people
Signal can be installed on the smartphone just like WhatsApp. There is a Android- and a iOS-Version. WhatsApp users should find their way around the messenger immediately, the biggest difference is the mandatory entry of a PIN, which additionally protects the data of the chats. To check which friends and acquaintances are already using Signal, you can click on the pencil symbol and continue chatting here, provided that the person is already at Signal. If it isn’t, you can send her an invitation: Simply tap on “Invite friends to Signal” and send an email or an SMS message.
2. Create new groups
Next you have to re-create your groups. Unfortunately, WhatsApp groups cannot simply be transferred to Signal or another messenger. But what you can do is create the groups from scratch. Simply create a new group using the pencil symbol, which you name exactly as with WhatsApp. You can also invite all members straight away. Then you just have to wait for the missing members to register with Signal. You can speed up the process by posting a signal invitation in your WhatsApp group.
3. Download WhatsApp data
To shorten the waiting time, you can of course download all data from WhatsApp and, if necessary, upload it again to the new signal group. To do this, open WhatsApp on your smartphone, go to settings and then select “Account”. Here you can download account information. WhatsApp does not make things easy for users, however: you have to wait several days before you can download the data.
4. Use Signal on iPad, Mac and PC
Until then, you can take care of setting up Signal on your other end devices: There are apps for iPadOS, Windows, MacOS and Debian Linux that you can simply couple with the smartphone signal using a QR code. This is useful because when you are at the computer you don’t have to pick up your smartphone every time to respond to signal messages.
Last but not least: delete WhatsApp?
Sure, the last step will be difficult, but let’s be honest: Just because everyone uses WhatsApp doesn’t mean it’s the perfect messenger. If you’ve read the article this far, you’re probably fed up with WhatsApp. Of course you don’t have to delete the app – there are always unteachable contemporaries here and there who let the Facebook universe further exploit their data. But let the sheep be sheep – after all, there is still the good old SMS as a fallback solution.
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