I’ve always used plain SMS for text messaging. There’s nothing sensitive in my correspondence, so I haven’t worried about it. Then, the FBI warning this week got me thinking. I’m not worried about the Chinese, but maybe I should take precautions. My main concern right now is compatibility: If I use, say, Signal, will my messages get through to someone using a different EM or even plain SMS? Or, does everyone have to be on the same page with the same app?
Yes, your recipient(s) need to be using the same messenger application. I use Signal currently.
That complicates it. I don’t know if I could get my 89 year old mother to jump on board, let alone anybody else.
Well if you are using the same hardware platform, you may also use encrypted messaging natively. Apple iMessages, (which appear blue between iPhone users) facilitates encrypted messaging. Similarly, Android users can use Google Messages for encrypted messaging.