I believe WhatsApp is the largest, perhaps even Telegram. Although Signal is likely to be the most private. I will definitely sideload Signal until Mudita fork it for their own use. WhatsApp I may leave for desktop use only as the groups and conversations on there are not as important to me, haha.
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Yes, WhatsApp and Telegram have bigger user base.
Just in case, please be aware that WhatsApp on PC can break at times. I tried hard to live smartphone-free for a year (and few times for shorter time span) and although Signal and Telegram work fabulously on a PC when you activate it and put the smartphone in the drawer, WhatsApp had random hiccups. After three months, after two weeks, after a week, after two months… All of a sudden (couldn’t find the root cause) WhatsApp PC was asking to pair it with the phone again. That sucked and honestly I wish those social circles migrate to Signal at some point. 
I’m probably not going to sideload WhatsApp, but I’ll have to keep my smartphone in the drawer to power it on whenever WhatsApp PC loses touch with its base.
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@buiosu Punkt.'s Signal fork (Pigeon) was unstable and constantly went down for months at a time. We were at the mercy of whoever created the fork (and it was closed source). I much prefer downloading direct from Signal.
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There’s many forks out there, but honestly if sideloading apps is doable, it might as well be doable for Mudita to wrap Signal into their own app portfolio one day somehow. 
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I have a question about whatsapp, so the main reason I left was facebook having access to my data etc. I am not technical as you know but if I wanted to go back on whatsapp and add it back sideloaded on the Kompakt, does facebook still have access to my data etc? tracking where I am?
My thinking is even if they do what data do they have access to if I am using their app through a dumbphone like the Kompakt, its not like they can advertise to me in any way because the Kompakt does not have a browser and I will never sideload one to it
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Yeah this is the main reason I don’t want to sideload whatsapp to the Kompakt, I left whatsapp years ago now because I hate being in so many groups and having so many missed notifications, it was a distraction to me, felt like work having to catch up on everything being said in a chat, and I don’t like how you can just be added to any chat without your permission
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I’ve read articles about the security of WhatsApp and according to security experts, Your personal messages are protected with end-to-end encryption. No one outside of the chat, not even WhatsApp or Meta , can read, listen to, or share them.
Why may not be the case for Facebook Messenger, even though they are owned by the same company.
WhatsApp uses the open-source Signal protocol, which is used by many other messaging apps and has been found to be secure in numerous studies.
As far as LOCATION. Mudita Kompakt does not track you, so there would be no info to transmit.
Hopefully this answers your questions.
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WhatsApp uses the signal protocol and with encryption cannot read the content of your messages. Meta can, however, retain metadata as to who you are talking to, when you are talking to them, where the chat is taking place, how many messages your are sending etc etc. Signal doesn’t access this metadata at all (so they say).
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I can’t unsee this. This will haunt me even when I close my eyes.
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@howardbannister Can you please elaborate as to what has you so rattled I’m not sure I follow? Are you just excited about Mudita Kompakt?
- they don’t deserve to be trusted after many things Meta did so far
- there’s a chance the data is encrypted but I still wonder isn’t it possible for an app to read the screen while it’s in use and do something about it?
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I’m very excited about Mudita Kompakt (which is soon to be in my hands!). But I definitely won’t be sideloading any nasties into the lovely sanctuary you’ve created.
That image of Signal and WhatsApp smuggled into MKos is like going to your favourite yoga studio and discovering they’ve installed a cigarette machine.
Then, when you go to complain to the manager, you discover she’s asleep on the floor, surrounded by empty bottles of beer.
Through the front door you glimpse the Vegan Tantra Guru devouring a Big Mac — ketchup dripping all over his beard, his ugly dog jumping up and down desperate to clean his master’s face.
It’s more than a gentle soul like mine can handle.
Then again, can sideloaders cope with the purity of an unspoiled Kompakt? Maybe not.
I’m sure I can 
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If someone is using Signal for work over SMS then no other way. Can still turn off notifications like on Android I guess, then it is you who decide when you are going to check it - just like with SMS. 
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Yeah the more and more I think about it I don’t think I will ultimately sideload anything, there is just something so PERFECT about this device that is it just perfect the way it is. I left whatsapp 4 years ago now and I honestly do not miss it at all. The only thing I may want to sideload is spotify just for podcasts, but I am HOPING, Mudita has something planned for podcasts down the road. Although podcasts are not a deal breaker for me I do enjoy being able to listen to them
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Hmmm, like handing out miniature bottles of vodka at an AA meeting.
“Put it in your pocket, people. Just forget it’s there.”
All the while you feel it pressing into your thigh. You can almost hear it whisper “D-r-i-n-k m-e!”
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I think we come from different standpoints. Using a different messenger (with no social media features at all) than SMS is nothing special. Not even comparable to dealcoholized wine.
It’s social media and the very notifications (and the colorful screens besides) what makes smartphones a nightmare.
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WhatsApp is a nightmare.
When I get my Kompakt, I don’t want anyone in my life to know that there’s a way to force me back on WhatsApp.
“Text me. Call me. I’ll pick up an email when I get home.”
That’s what I’ll say.
20th Century Rules for a 20th Century Fox
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Yeah Whatsapp is a different story. I don’t want any big data processor have anything to do with my phone.
My plan is going to be in Offline+ mode most of the time and turn it on when I have time to talk. Signal as an alternative to SMS which are practically unencrypted.
Whether it was Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram, Session or anything else, whether it’s on PC or phone of any kind, IMO it’s essential to mute notifications and archive any non-crucial chats and groups.
I’d never heard of Session before. I see it’s European. Interesting.
But will we really need encrypted messaging in the future? Banks are being advised to abandon using SMS for one-time passwords and verify using apps.
My plan is to restrict those kinds of tasks to my desktop and tablet. The Kompakt will remain sublimely untroubled by such things.
Apart from passwords, I’m not sure I’ve anything else I want to hide. I’m too honest to be a criminal and the only revolution I want to coordinate is one to reduce the number of phone zombies cluttering public spaces.
Even at yoga they stand frozen in strange places blocking access to lockers with their heads bowed as they disappear into the black hole. It’s depressing.
We need to remember why the Kompakt exists. For freedom from distractions, freedom from Silicon Valley.
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I agree with everything you have said. My only reason for having Signal is to remain in contact with my parents and family.
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