WhatsApp outage: Top 5 other messaging apps you can use 

Messaging app WhatsApp suffered a massive outage in India and other countries on Tuesday. The outage created quite a stir as millions of users were not able to send or receive messages. The services were restored after about 90 minutes.

But, if you still want to keep an option of other messaging apps on your smartphone, here's a list:

Signal Messenger

Signal Messenger can be considered as one of the top WhatsApp alternatives and it has emerged as a popular messaging app, owing to its privacy and security credentials. The app is co-owned by WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton, and its parent company, the Signal Foundation, is a non-profit venture that seeks to promote free and unrestricted communication. 

Telegram Messenger

Along with Signal, Telegram is another messaging app with significant - and growing - popularity. Its core feature is privacy, as it provides end-to-end encryption on personal chats, making them secure. Telegram allows you to join multiple open groups, which function as communities where you can meet new people and stay up to date on the latest developments in specific fields. Telegram also provides verified groups to ensure the accuracy of the information.

Facebook Messenger

It’s a no-brainer that you might be using Instagram or Facebook Messenger, which are Meta's other products. Facebook Messenger is another alternative that can be used instead of WhatsApp now.  Facebook has added features such as graphic responses to messages, quoted responses, and even end-to-end encryption in specific parts of its chats to cater to such audiences. 

iMessage

Although iMessage is only available on iPhones, it ranks high because, in terms of iOS, iMessages provide plenty of flexibility and ease of communication and can be used as an alternative to WhatsApp. To begin with, it is well integrated into the iOS ecosystem, providing you with a default alternative to WhatsApp whenever you require it. If your internet connection is poor, iMessage can also send your message as an offline SMS without your intervention.

Line

Line is another WhatsApp alternative and contrary to popular belief, it is a Japanese app and not a Chinese one. While it began as a WhatsApp alternative with stickers and animated reactions to messages, it has since expanded its offerings to include voice and video calling, as well as a social media-like timeline of content on the service. The app includes integrated services such as a photo editor for editing images before posting, theme and sticker stores, and neatly groups conversations between 'friends' and 'groups' for easy discovery.