Best Group Messaging App that Isn't iMessage

By Nicholas Stanford, 3 July, 2024

Forum
iOS and iPadOS

I'm thinking I'll probably just use Apple's Messages app once they implement RCS, but I'm hoping for some advice on a good group messaging app to use right now. Currently I do most of my messaging through Facebook Messenger and Discord, and both work ok, but there's one thing they don't do that frustrates me. There is no sound queue when a new message arrives in a message thread that you have open. When using iMessage there's an audio queue for that. In Messenger or Discord I often find that once I send a message I'm repeating something someone else just said or asking a question that already got answered because I didn't think to check new messages before hitting send. I can work on getting into the habit of checking before I send, but I would be thrilled if there's a messaging app I can use that has better sound queues.
Also Messenger has this weird bug that sometimes when I send or receive a message it just starts reading messages in my open thread from days ago and won't stop until I close and re-open the app. Not sure what's up with that.

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Comments

By Dave Nason on Sunday, June 30, 2024 - 22:17

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

WhatsApp is an excellent, full featured and very accessible messaging app, and is also cross platform.
Frankly, it’s the app the rest of the world outside North America and China is using.
Dave

By Nicholas Stanford on Sunday, June 30, 2024 - 22:17

I'll have to try it out. Weird that both it and Facebook Messenger are owned by Meta and they're so different. Messenger is a dumpster fire lately. Hopefully WhatsApp doesn't follow suit.

By Holger Fiallo on Sunday, June 30, 2024 - 22:17

Now with RCS if someone does not want like iMessage, it will be good. Transfer of pictures and video quality shows to be good. Also the same things that you do with iMessage is in RCS.

By Brian on Sunday, July 7, 2024 - 22:17

Not a user of WhatsApp, but as I understand things your phone number is available for anyone to see, which can lead to all kinds of nonsense. There is a guide out there on how to utilize Google to have a virtual/private number solely for WhatsApp.

Just food for thought if you go this route. πŸ˜‡