Over the last few years, chat apps have become one of the most popular ways to communicate with friends and family. For many people, these apps are becoming the go-to way to reach out and stay in touch with people they care about. Even businesses are using chat apps more and more as a way to connect with customers. In fact, some sources estimate that the global chat app market will be worth almost $19 billion by 2021. That’s because consumers love them for their ease of use, privacy features, and cost-effectiveness. But this increased popularity also makes it important for users to consider which chat app is safe for them and their friends before downloading it. In this article, we’ll explain what makes a chat app unsafe, explore why that matters for you as an individual user and potential business owner, and explore how TextNow is a safe option for anyone who wants to use it.
Can Textnow Be Traced Back To Your Phone?
The answer to this question is a resounding, “Yes.” TextNow is easily traceable to your phone number because it uses your phone number as an identifier for everything you do in the app. For example, if you want to use TextNow to text someone, you will first need to sign up for an account using your phone number.
What Makes A Chat App Unsafe?
Unencrypted Data
One of the biggest security risks is the lack of end-to-end encryption. This means that your messages aren’t encrypted before they get sent to the server. This means that if someone were to hack into your account, they would be able to read all of your messages and even send fake messages from your account.
Data Retention
A lot of chat apps retain data for a certain amount of time after you delete a message or an entire chat thread. Even if you think you have deleted all evidence of a conversation, there could be some information still on their servers. For example, most chat apps keep deleted messages for one week after you delete them. If someone who has access to those servers wanted to, they could recover those messages and read them again at a later date when you aren’t expecting it. TextNow does not do this and will permanently delete any message or conversation that you delete from within the app. However, TextNow does keep track of who sends and receives each message so that we can provide features such as transcriptions and read receipts in the future (we are working on these features now). We do not retain any other data about these conversations beyond what is needed for providing these features in the future or for troubleshooting purposes if needed.
Public Information Sharing
Another thing that makes some chat apps unsafe is when they share user information publicly without consent from users first. For example, some chat apps will tell your friends what you are listening to on Spotify. Another example is when chat apps share your location with your friends without asking you first. TextNow will never share any of this information from within the app without getting explicit permission from you first. We do not collect any of this information in the first place because we don’t need it for anything, and we don’t want to be responsible for anyone getting hacked because they trusted us too much with their personal data.
Lack of Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security method used by many online services that require you to enter in a second piece of information beyond just your password in order to gain access to an account. This second piece of information is usually a code that the service sends to your phone number or email address, which you then input into the site or app as well as your password before gaining access. TextNow has 2FA enabled by default on all accounts created after October 1st, 2016, and all new signups are required to enable 2FA during their initial setup process before they can use the app at all. Because 2FA is required for all new accounts, it’s very difficult for anyone who has stolen an account or someone who has hacked into an account from another site/service/app (with weak security) to gain access to it unless they also have access to the phone number or email address associated with the account.
Lack of Privacy Settings
Many chat apps do not have any privacy settings within their apps to prevent people from seeing your information or contacting you outside of the app. TextNow has privacy settings that allow you to block and unblock users, prevent others from seeing what phone number you are using in the app, and prevent others from sending you messages. We also have a “Privacy Mode” option that allows you to hide your name and phone number from other users in the app for an hour, 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or forever. We know that some of these features may not be useful for everyone and we will be adding even more privacy features in the future (such as private chats with friends and family). If there is something specific that you would like us to add please let us know on Twitter or Facebook so we can take it into consideration!
User-Generated Content Sharing
There are many chat apps out there today that allow users to share pictures and videos with one another privately within the app, but then they make those same pictures public on their website or social media accounts without getting con,sent first from users first (unless they choose to opt-out). In some cases those accounts are linked together so photos shared on one platform will also be shared on all other platforms as well. This is very dangerous because people can take screenshots of any private content shared by others without them knowing about it (this happens
Why Is Safety Important When Selecting A Chat App?
Safety of Children
Children are especially vulnerable when using the internet, and many chat apps have features that allow children to be contacted or to contact people who do not have their best interests in mind. For example, there are many adult men who use the internet for nefarious reasons and may be looking for children to contact. Many of these men may use chat apps to prey on children by posing as a child, pretending to be a child, or pretending that they are a romantic interest of the child. These men may have access to pictures of children and may be able to share pictures with them as well. It is important that parents know what chat apps their kids are using so they can monitor their activity online and set rules for when the app should be used and when it should not be used. It is also important for parents to know how the app works so they can explain it to their children if necessary
Safety of Disabled People
Many disabled people use the internet for social interaction, education, and entertainment purposes. They may also use chat apps as a way to stay in touch with friends and family members who live far away from them (this includes friends and family who live in other countries). Unfortunately, disabled people are often ignored or left out by other people because they do not understand how their disability affects them. This can lead to depression and anxiety in some cases, which can lead them to become very lonely if they do not have anyone who understands them or is willing to spend time with them (this is especially true for those who cannot travel). This can lead some disabled individuals down a dark path where they find others who accept them for being different (in most cases this means accepting their disability) and then begin spending time with those individuals online while sharing personal information about themselves. Unfortunately, the internet is not a safe place for disabled people to share personal information about themselves and it is important that these people know what chat apps they are using so they can keep their personal information private.
Safety of Older People
Older people may use chat apps to make friends, find friends, and/or make new acquaintances. They may also use chat apps to connect with family members who live far away from them. Unfortunately, older people often do not understand how their age affects them and how this affects them when it comes to being safe online. Older individuals may have other health conditions that affect their mental functioning (such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia) that can lead them to become confused or unable to understand certain situations that occur online (for example, if they are being tricked online into giving up personal information about themselves). It is important for older individuals who use chat apps to know what the app does in order to avoid getting tricked into giving up information about themselves.
Final Words
Now that you know the risks that come with using many chat apps, you can pick the one that best suits your needs and offers the most security. By doing so, you can promote a safe online environment that helps everyone better connect with one another. Choosing a safe chat app is important for your safety, but it also affects others around you. If you have friends and family who rely on chat apps to stay in touch, make sure you’re using a safe one so you can all connect with one another without fear.
