These Are the Best Instant Messaging Apps for iPhone
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When it comes to instant messaging on iPhone, your first thought is probably iMessage. Apple has gone out of its way to make iMessage a fantastic and exclusive app for iPhone users. If you're constantly chatting with other Apple users, your best option, for the most part, is iMessage.
There's no doubt that iMessage is fantastic. It's the most convenient way to talk to other iPhone users, but it's definitely not the only way. However, it isn't the only option available. There are dozens of instant messaging apps you can download and try for free.
It's always great to have other options in case you have a friend or family member who uses an Android phone or just prefers chatting on other platforms. You can try one or more of these instant messaging apps and explore what features other apps have to offer. Whether you want to find other people with the same interests or you want to keep your messages private, there's an app for you.
If you're not sure which instant messaging app to try, read on for 10 solid options that are worth a look.
WhatsApp has become one of the most popular options for instant messaging apps out there — and for a good reason.
WhatsApp was one of the first apps that let you talk with friends or family online, and in all this time, it's become the go-to option for most of us. With WhatsApp, you can text, talk, or video call anyone. You can even make group calls with your friends and family.
Most of the new features you'll find on instant messaging apps exist because WhatsApp started the trend. Granted, this app isn't considered as private as other options on the list, but it's still a solid choice that you can use with pretty much anyone in the world. And you can use it on your computer or other devices in a matter of seconds.
Signal
If you want something that is considered private, then Signal is probably the way to go.
When it comes to its user interface, it's not as friendly as other options on the list, at least not until you get a hang of it. However, it's a very secure app to use for messaging. Absolutely everything you do or share on Signal is end-to-end encrypted. Plus, it's got the option to send disappearing messages if you want.
Besides these security features, Signal works like any other instant messaging app. You can send and receive texts and other type of media. Plus, you can keep your friends and family up to date with your life by sharing stories.
And if you want something more personal, you can just voice or video call any of your contacts from anywhere in the world.
Telegram Messenger
Telegram stands as one of the best alternatives for both iMessage and WhatsApp. This platform is fast and reliable, and it's got a lot of cool features that you won't find on many instant messaging apps.
For instance, what makes Telegram stand out is the ability to find channels or groups in an instant. While with apps like WhatsApp, you can only get invited or create groups, with Telegram, you can find random people around the world.
This is perfect to find groups of people who share the same interests as you or to find a reliable source of news and information.
Another feature that makes Telegram a solid choice is its cloud-based system. Whatsapp or iMessage saves all images or videos on your iPhone, which will reduce your storage rapidly.
Telegram, on the other hand, saves media files in the cloud, so you can keep hundreds of thousands of files in the cloud without worrying about storage.
Messenger
Messenger is another app from Meta, the company behind Facebook. While both the social media platform and the company have had their fair share of security issues, Messenger is still a solid option to reach out to those friends and family members you don't speak with all that often.
What's great about this app is that it automatically adds all your contacts to the list of people you can talk to. You can instantly find your friends and start talking to them.
Plus, since Messenger is part of Facebook, you can talk to sellers or possible buyers from the Facebook marketplace.
Besides that, you'll also find a lot of unique features that aren't available on many other platforms. For instance, you can create group chats and send a poll to finally settle which movie you all should see this weekend.
Discord
Discord isn't your typical instant messaging app, but it's one of the best options out there, especially if you're a gamer or part of a large internet community.
What makes Discord stand out is how easy it is to use and join a community with the same interests as you.
Sure, you won't use Discord to talk to your parents or kids. Instead, you'll use it to talk with people from the same internet communities as you. For instance, there are Discord servers for people who love tech, video games, or the same content creators as you do.
And if you don't find what you're looking for, you can just as easily create your own Discord server and invite others who like the same things as you.
You can chat with everybody or hope in a voice or video call to talk with your close friends in real time. Whether you like chatting on your iPhone or PC, Discord is available on many different platforms — including gaming consoles.
Line
Line is a pretty unique app. And while it's not as popular as other options on the list, it offers a lot of cool features you need to try.
Just like with other apps, you'll be able to chat or talk with a friend or in group calls. But Line offers much more than that. For instance, there's Line Pay, a feature that lets you safely and easily send payments from your iPhone.
Moreover, there's Line Voom, a feature that lets you discover updates from other people, even if you don't know them. This is a great way to interact with other people and find new friends from other places.
And if you come across someone who speaks a different language, Line lets you scan text from images and translate it in a matter of seconds.
Viber Messenger
Viber is a pretty straightforward app, but it does come with everything you need to chat or call your friends.
Besides end-to-end encryption, Viber lets you send temporary messages that will get deleted automatically after a while.
Plus, the app lets you use it on your iPhone or computer, so you can keep chatting no matter what you're doing. Viber also features public channels where you can join and find people who want to talk about the same topics as you.
All in all, Viper doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't really need to. All its features work great, and while it might not be as catchy as other options on the list, it's still a solid option to try.
Snapchat
Snapchat is an app that doesn't need an introduction. It's only one of the most popular instant messaging apps you'll find online.
While the app has evolved to feel like its own social media platform, it's still a great place to message your friends or follow your favorite celebrities without much hassle.
Besides being able to chat and call your friends, you can also share stories of what you've been up to. Snapchat also offers a Spotlight feature, so you can share your best videos with pretty much anyone in the world.
And if you don't want to share, you can still check thousands of videos made by other people you can follow. And if you don't know where to start, Snapchat offers a Map feature so you can find other people near you using the app and see what they're up to.
Even though it's more popular in Asia, WeChat is still a really solid option if you want to try a new instant messaging app.
For starters, WeChat offers a feature that will let you talk with people from all over the world. Even if you don't understand them, WeChat's translation feature lets you communicate with anyone in an instant.
And, if you're a fan of stickers, WeChat lets you find thousands of stickers that you can add to your library in an instant. And if you want something more special, you can even create stickers out of your own selfies.
Other features that make WeChat stand out are its pay feature and Time Capsules, which are basically like WhatsApp stories and games. That's right, you can find and play some mini-games with friends in case you're feeling bored.
Dust - A Safer Place to Text
If you want to try a unique and secure instant messaging app, then Dust is the best option for you.
This app boasts of having military-grade encryption on all your messages. That means no one will get a hold of your messages, not even Dust.
Plus, the app makes it really easy to delete your messages from your and other people's phones. You can even delete them in real time or unsend any message you send.
And if you really want to be careful, Dust lets you send messages that will automatically get deleted after 24 hours. You'll also get notifications if someone takes a screenshot of your chat with them.
While Dust's user interface isn't the best, it's still a great app to have if you really want to keep all your data private or you want to delete all your messages and data from anywhere.