As someone who quit WhatsApp a while back when there was a big scare about a change in ToS (and everyone was promising to jump ship to telegram/signal), I cannot overstate the importance of the network effect. For a platform with a userbase this size, the critical mass of users required to pull everyone over to a new platform is simply massive. I'm on both other platforms, and although I see many of my contacts there, they are simply not active. They prefer WhatsApp, and unless something cataclysmic happens, they'll remain there.
I hear ya. I also use WhatsApp a lot. But if OP has issues that makes WhatsApp unusable, and the owner of the platform refuse to offer support, how to proceed…? Even if the network effect is strong, at that point I would seek out alternatives.
I would be very happy if people migrated to another platform. Second best here is Telegram, but it's impossible to get everyone there. It's heavily used for government communication, scams, and affairs/prostitution.
PS. Perhaps I was a little to brusque in my comment. I could have phrased it like this: When using Telegram, be aware that it’s severe shortcomings when it comes to security.
Telegram does not support group message encryption, and encryption is off by default for direct messages.
At no point has Telegram been a leader in End to End encryption. If you like the thought of the United Arab Emirates having access to all your unencrypted messages though, it's a great option!
