WhatsApp’s Policy Update Led to a Demand for Signal App: How To Launch A Secure Chat App Like Signal?

Users across the world, including you, know how WhatsApp has changed the way we used to communicate. While there are so many advantages that we could go on about what the app offered, it has all now come to a sudden halt because of the privacy policy update that Whatsapp had made. 

What is the change in the privacy policy that has impacted WhatsApp’s reputation?

Data like status, group names and icons, frequency of activities, and also whether the user is online will all be held by Whatsapp. Apart from this, all the WhatsApp payment details such as processing method, shipment data, and transactions will all be collected. The app will also collect and share the device model, location, battery level, and browser details. 

And unlike the previous privacy policy where the app asked the consent to share the user’s data with Facebook, for improving ads, it had now made it mandatory to share the data. Either the user has to ‘take it’ or ‘move on.’ This policy change is effective from February 8 of 2021. 

Demand Spike for Whatsapp Alternative “Signal”

Though there are many other instant messaging apps as an alternative, privacy and data are still in the stack. That is why many are shifting to the Signal app, which is serving as a popular solution for secure messaging.

If you have ever wondered about creating private messaging like Signal Clone, this blog will help you understand the ins and outs of it. 

What is a Signal app? 

The Signal app was launched in the year 2015 in the month of March by Open Whisper Systems. The application is free of cost for users, and it would receive revenue from grants and donations. 

In 2016, it was independently audited, and from then, the app has been deemed safe. It allows encrypted calls across the world, and the case is the same as the Signal text messages. The messaging app is protected by end-to-end encryption.

How to launch an instant messaging app like Signal?

There are many things you need to consider while launching a chat app like Signal. Mainly the core features that you must consider during its development. 

Registration

When it comes to the roster, it would be even more comfortable for the user to register, where they won’t have to remember any passwords or login information. 

Disappearing messages

Users can set up a timer from 5 seconds to a week for the messages to disappear. 

Audio and video calls

Since the app runs under end-to-end encryption technology, audio, and video calls can be made securely. It comes in handy for business communications. 

Note to self

Unlike other messaging apps, the app contains a feature where the user can send to themselves some essential things that are note-worthy. 

Screen security

This feature prohibits anyone from taking a screenshot of the app’s screen when enabled. 

Screen lock

Found in the privacy setting, this feature would lock the screen after some time of inactivity. The inactivity time can be set according to the user’s choice. 

Incognito Keyboard

In other apps, we wouldn’t know whether the data entered via the keyboard is backed up, but once this feature is enabled, backup from keyboard data is impossible. 

Linked devices

The number of devices that can be connected with an account is just one. Either the user must log out from a device to use or log in from another device, or the app would automatically logout. 

Secure backup

With this feature, the data backup is done only on the phone and not on any Google accounts like Whatsapp. By this, you can see how safe the data could be. 

Content sharing

The app allows users to share kinds of content, including multimedia files like photos, videos, locations, or even audio messages. 

Encrypted chats

Either one-to-one conversations or group messages, users can have encrypted chats with friends. This is possible because the messaging app server would not have any access to group icons, titles, or membership lists. 

Platform-related features

Android app users can, by default, set the messenger app as their default messaging platform, from which the messages can be received or sent, in case of the absence of an internet connection. 

Conversation length limit

The users can set the specified message limit, which, when crossed, the app would automatically delete the old messages. The number of messages can be changed with the list offered in the app itself, or users can also customize it to their requirements.

Cost for developing a Signal Clone app:

The cost and the timeline for developing a P2P instant messaging app can significantly rely on the features that the app will have, the complexity and the design of the application and the app development team you hire, the total time needed for development. These factors would make it challenging to get an estimate of the product as it varies from client to client. 

However, to develop such an app, the standard features that might help us in calculating the minimum budget of the app are:

• Login/Registration: Login with a number, phone number confirmation
• Contact access: Complete access to contacts and segment the people that have and have not installed the app
• Invitation: Ability to invite or spread the word through native sharing functionality
• Chat: One-to-one chatting, the status of messages, edit or delete messages, send media from gallery or camera, and notifications
• Additional features: Stickers, audio messages

Tips for development: 

While developing a secure chat platform, you must take into account that Signal messenger is not one-of-a-kind. By taking the competitors like Telegram, WhatsApp into account, you should be able to stand out from the crowd. 

But with the right guidance, everything is possible. 

We can provide you with White-label WhatsApp Clone Solution that can be customized to your requirements. The customizations can be flexible, where you could add in some features, plug-ins, and add-ons. Apart from the development, the team also offers complete support, both pre and post-launch. 

Conclusion:

Though the messaging apps are kind of similar to each other, there would be some core functionalities that differentiate one another. Plan that unique and sleek feature, convey it to the team, and you are all set to propel your wagon! Hurry now!

Author

Marketing is my soul mate and writing is my side kick. Using my writing skills to share the knowledge of app development and upcoming technologies.