James Zhan in real life.

25 Aug, 2026

My wife and I switched from Facebook Messenger and RCS to Signal almost a year ago for all our messaging needs. We have no plans to stop using Signal, but to be honest, Signal kind of sucks as a messaging app:

• No call notification on Apple Watch, meaning if you have your phone in your pocket on silence, you’d be completely unaware that someone’s calling you on Signal even if you’re wearing an Apple Watch
• No option to send videos and photos in their original resolution
• No CarPlay or Android Auto (my wife and I resort to WhatsApp for making calls in the car)
• On iOS, you can’t even set it as the default app for calling
• No live location sharing (again, we have to resort to WhatsApp)
• The Mac app is an Electron app and it doesn’t even support macOS’s basic built-in autocorrect, inline prediction, auto-capitalization and smart typography (smart quotes and dashes)—I made a feature request in Signal’s official forum almost a year ago but nothing has come out of that:

You may not care about good typography, but I do. There’s a reason why macOS and many writing apps and word processors automatically convert straight quotes " to smart/curly ones “”. They simply look better and are more legible.

Note that I’m not asking for flashy features—these to me are like the basics of a modern messaging app. The fact that you can’t even get call notifications on the watch is kind of ridiculous.

Don’t get me wrong:

• I’m glad Signal even exists as a viable alternative to messaging apps from big tech;
• I’m thankful for its focus on privacy and security;
• I appreciate that it’s a nonprofit that is “billionaire-proof”;
• I admire Signal Foundation’s transparency;
• I’m relieved and so grateful that it’s void of AI;
• I understand that it’s a nonprofit and so funds are limited; and
• I donate to the Signal Foundation regularly.

But purely as a messaging app, it sucks. I’m not surprised Signal isn’t widely adopted because it’s not ready to be.

Do I still recommend it? Yes, because it sucks even more to rely your communication on apps by companies like Meta—and also, unfortunately, there isn’t an alternative that’s better.

While you’re here, take a look at this fantastic comparison of messaging apps (not by me and not affiliated), and consider leaving Facebook Messenger/WhatsApp/Telegram for an alternative that’s more secure and respectful of your data privacy.

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