* Free international communication
* Read/typing receipts
* Faster and more reliable
* Sending of media
* Group chats that actually work
* Seamless usage across desktop/mobile
Going back to SMS is like going back to the dark ages after getting used to a proper web-based chat client. As far as I can tell pretty much the only place where technical users still use SMS is the US.
This isn't true for Whatsapp and was my main technical reason for leaving Whatsapp for Telegram.
(I have another post in this thread that explains my reasoning WRT security.)
but my family is stubborn like myself and refuse to change.
Practical advice or anyone who decides to try:
- recommend it to friends at your age first.
- emphasize ease of use, not security (also I wouldn't even feel comfortable telling people that Telegram is more secure)
- both can be used free of charge so I am fine with communicating with my stubborn siblings on Whatsapp and everyone else on other platforms.