This suggestion is not supposed to be the end game. Yes, you still need a WhatsApp account.
However,
Beeper can still do IMessage, just selfhosted, which I think was the right route. Beeper has also contributed hugely to matrix’s bridges ecosystem, and all the bridges can be selfhosted, so there was never any need to give them your credentials, or even use their servers for your matrix host. I like what beeper is doing a lot.
I’ve just discussed with a few people on the Matrix chat (link in the sidebar) who managed to move their entire social circle to Signal. Well done, really, that’s great.
But for the vast majority of people here, there is always some network effect that is going to keep you in the WhatsApp bubble
bachelor/ette party? WhatsApp group
kids’ sports club? WhatsApp group
neighborhood discussion group? WhatsApp group
friends birthday? WhatsApp group
large family discussions? WhatsApp group
So, what is the added value compared to just using WhatsApp? You show people that there is an alternative, while still being reachable. It’s a stepping stone that hopefully will motivate people to leave WhatsApp. And hopefully, more and more people will do overtime.
General comment for everyone:
This suggestion is not supposed to be the end game. Yes, you still need a WhatsApp account.
However,
https://lemmy.world/comment/15074369
I’ve just discussed with a few people on the Matrix chat (link in the sidebar) who managed to move their entire social circle to Signal. Well done, really, that’s great.
But for the vast majority of people here, there is always some network effect that is going to keep you in the WhatsApp bubble
So, what is the added value compared to just using WhatsApp? You show people that there is an alternative, while still being reachable. It’s a stepping stone that hopefully will motivate people to leave WhatsApp. And hopefully, more and more people will do overtime.