definietly Signal

What confuses me about this scenario you're painting is this: it doesn't matter which app is better than WhatsApp for your mother to navigate if none of the contacts she texts with are willing to move with her. She's not breaking off contact with folks over a GUI issue, is she? Or is she only using it with you?

Also, random messages not going through has not been an issue in the "war" between Android and iOS so far as I can see. Image quality of attached images, getting spammed with a new text for every reaction of a user in iMessage on the Android side, and some rare messages in group chat contexts that originated in iMessage were issues (and they're not anymore IIRC). Now, if those are the ones you mean with "random messages" then okay. Did you or she convince all her contacts to move to WhatsApp as a result? If so, once again, moving her off it won't do any good unless everybody follows along with her.

A move off of WhatsApp and to Signal is recommended from a privacy point of view. Meta is a terrible company. Signal is less bloated than WhatsApp. Beyond that I think they're all roughly similar in functionality and user interface. By which I mean equally confusing for somebody over 60 today.

Use Signal,

It's what I advice my clients to use and it's much cleaner and easier due to being less bloated.

I am trying Delta chat. Seems easy to use and secure. (Not sure if they do voice yet but audio files for sure)

My family has all switched to Signal, including family overseas in Europe (non-English speaking, varying age groups). It has all the features you mentioned, as well as gif responses my aunt and parents are into. Personally I find the look and feel of it to be preferable to whatsapp as well. It's not as visually cluttered imo and has none of the spam/scams I had been getting on whatsapp.

I also use signal now as my primary messenger over sms or anything else. I love being able to edit responses and emoji react even tho I don't have an iphone anymore. Plus all the added security of encryption of course.

whatsup?🥷 WhatsDown

IMO the best alternative is Signal:

• privacy and encryption are state of the art (link here)
• has all the core features you need (see the official blog) and less important ones like stories and polls
• I find the User Interface very pleasant and very simple
• You can simply add a contact just with a username, nobody can see your phone number if you don't want to share it

For the drawbacks:

• centralized and hosted in the USA (Amazon's AWS) unlike Session which uses TOR (AFAIK) and Threema (Switzerland law)
• you can't host your own server like with SimpleX and Conversation, though you could use Molly but I have never tried it
• you will need a phone number to create an account unlike all the messenging apps I generally recommand but I trust them, they're a non-profit foundation not a company

|          /5          | Signal   | Threema      | Session         | SimpleX       | DeltaChat                     | Conversation      |
|:--------------------:|----------|--------------|-----------------|---------------|-------------------------------|-------------------|
| Encryption           | 5 (king) | 4            | 3 (no PFS)      | 5 (PQC)       | 2 (no encrypt. or PGP/no PFS) | 3                 |
| User Interface       | 5        | 5            | 4               | 2 (erratic)   | 3                             | 3                 |
| Features             | 4        | 5 (king)     | 3               | 2 (too young) | 5 (webapps)                   | 3                 |
| Server Location      | 2 (USA)  | 4 (CH)       | 5 (TOR is king) | 3 (anywhere)  | 3 (anywhere)                  | 3 (anywhere)      |
| Needs a phone number | 3        | 4            | 5               | 4             | 4                             | 4                 |
| Ease to bring people | 4        | 2 (paid app) | 3 (niche)       | 3 (niche)     | 5 (E-Mail is king)            | 3 ("complicated") |

Signal and its forks such as Molly, Session