Put WhatsApp on the comparison table #230

2026-09-25T22:48:51Z

paulhitt commented

2026-09-25 22:48:51 +00:00

(Migrated from gitlab.com)

Adds WhatsApp as a fifth column on /comparison and /es/comparison, with every cell sourced from Meta's own pages or NCC Group's public reports — the rule the page sets for itself.

Row	WhatsApp
Nobody in between can read it	Yes, personal messages and calls, by default
Works without a phone number	No
Run the server yourself	No
Message someone on a different server	Partly: Europe only, opt-in, with apps that signed up, because of the DMA
Keep your name if you move servers	No
Messages wait in more than one place	No
Anyone can read the code	No; Meta publishes some parts, like its key-directory library
Post-quantum, at the start / every message	Not stated
App checks your contact is really them	Yes, key transparency since 2023
History survives losing the phone	Yes, backups encrypted end to end only if you turn that on
Checked by outsiders	Partly: NCC Group reviewed the backups (2021) and the key directory (2023)
Install today / people using it	Yes / more than two billion
What pays for it	Meta, including ads in Status and Channels

Two cells that were checked rather than assumed

Cross-service messaging is Partly, not No. The Digital Markets Act made WhatsApp let people in Europe opt in to chatting with apps that have signed up to connect, live since November 2025. That makes it the only other messenger on this table that can reach anyone on a different service. It's pinned by a test, because it is the row most tempting to round down, and that would be the same stale-in-our-favour scoring the page already got wrong once about Signal.

Post-quantum is "Not stated", not No. Meta's only published post-quantum work covers the connection to its servers, not the messages. An empty search isn't a no, so the cell says what's known.

The lede goes from four messengers to five, as does the closing paragraph. The sources list gains a WhatsApp entry.

Falsified by rewriting the Spanish interop cell to say WhatsApp can't reach other services, which fails naming /es/comparison.

Not to be deployed while App Review is testing 0.31.0 against this relay.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Adds WhatsApp as a fifth column on `/comparison` and `/es/comparison`, with every cell sourced from Meta's own pages or NCC Group's public reports — the rule the page sets for itself. | Row | WhatsApp | |---|---| | Nobody in between can read it | **Yes**, personal messages and calls, by default | | Works without a phone number | **No** | | Run the server yourself | **No** | | Message someone on a different server | **Partly**: Europe only, opt-in, with apps that signed up, because of the DMA | | Keep your name if you move servers | **No** | | Messages wait in more than one place | **No** | | Anyone can read the code | **No**; Meta publishes some parts, like its key-directory library | | Post-quantum, at the start / every message | **Not stated** | | App checks your contact is really them | **Yes**, key transparency since 2023 | | History survives losing the phone | **Yes**, backups encrypted end to end only if you turn that on | | Checked by outsiders | **Partly**: NCC Group reviewed the backups (2021) and the key directory (2023) | | Install today / people using it | **Yes** / more than two billion | | What pays for it | Meta, including ads in Status and Channels | ### Two cells that were checked rather than assumed **Cross-service messaging is Partly, not No.** The Digital Markets Act made WhatsApp let people in Europe opt in to chatting with apps that have signed up to connect, live since November 2025. That makes it the only other messenger on this table that can reach anyone on a different service. It's pinned by a test, because it is the row most tempting to round down, and that would be the same stale-in-our-favour scoring the page already got wrong once about Signal. **Post-quantum is "Not stated", not No.** Meta's only published post-quantum work covers the connection to its servers, not the messages. An empty search isn't a no, so the cell says what's known. The lede goes from four messengers to five, as does the closing paragraph. The sources list gains a WhatsApp entry. Falsified by rewriting the Spanish interop cell to say WhatsApp can't reach other services, which fails naming `/es/comparison`. **Not to be deployed while App Review is testing 0.31.0 against this relay.** 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

paulhitt commented

2026-09-25 23:10:53 +00:00

(Migrated from gitlab.com)

mentioned in commit c22a154c9f

mentioned in commit c22a154c9f0f27932b8509ad91bcd0bdbca46e1f

paulhitt (Migrated from gitlab.com) merged commit c22a154c9f into main

2026-09-25 23:10:53 +00:00

Sign in to join this conversation.

1 Participants

Notifications

Due Date

No due date set.

Dependencies

No dependencies set.

Reference: extant2000/flamenet-relay#230