Privacy policies of messaging apps
What information does your messaging app collect?

In this day and age, data collection is the reality of the Internet. Millions of people all over the world are becoming increasingly aware of how their choices as online consumers might affect their privacy.

From commercial websites to social media platforms, a wide variety of websites do gather data from their visitors. In addition to that, many apps are in the habit of collecting information from their users. If you are using any of the major messaging apps in the world today, some of your data might be out there. In fact, you are likely giving them access to some of your data.

Many companies are starting to do something about the growing concern in relation to data privacy. Recently, Apple’s App Store made a splash in the industry by showcasing privacy labels with the apps sold or distributed freely through their platform. This is an excellent way for consumers to learn more about what to expect in terms of data safety and privacy from different messaging apps.

Keep reading to learn more about what kind of data do these platforms take from you and what you can learn from each provider.

Facebook Messenger / Whatsapp

According to available privacy information on Apple’s App Store, Facebook messenger seems to be the messaging app that collects the most information from its users. This is not surprising, considering that this app is tied to Facebook and its larger family of services, including Instagram and WhatsApp, which both belong to Facebook.

Because they are concerned with the amount of data gathered by the aforementioned Facebook-owned apps, Many users choose to embrace alternative services, such as Telegram or Signal.

Read more here: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/

AirSend, Signal, and Telegram

According to the privacy labels posted on the App Store, it seems that Signal and AirSend are the best choices for people who are more conscious about privacy. In fact, these services reportedly do not gather any user data at all.

AirSend’s privacy policy. Read more here: https://www.airsend.io/legal/privacy

Telegram seems to be a great choice as well since it only collects a relatively small amount of identifiers.

Read more here: https://telegram.org/privacy

WeChat

Another popular messaging app alternative is WeChat. This app, along with other Chinese messaging and social media services, has sparked some controversies due to the country’s privacy regulations and the government’s stronghold over private conversations and content exchange. However, as China is quickly becoming a very relevant international player in the world of app and social media, the country is also changing its policies concerning privacy in order to become more appealing to a broader global market. In particular, WeChat Has been reviewing third-party content and apps in order to prevent the illicit collection of data for unspecified purposes.

Read more here: https://www.tencent.com/en-us/privacy-policy.html

To conclude, virtually all messaging apps will collect at least some of your user data for one reason or another. It is really up to you to learn more about what each service entails in terms of privacy and how strictly do you want to protect your personal information. The advantage of using platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, or Instagram is that they are incredibly widespread and have a large user base. However, alternatives like AirSend, Signal, or Telegram seem like a better option for people who want to protect more of their data and prevent companies from using them for commercial purposes.

Marketing trends for startups this year.

While we are still in the early days of 2021, the startup world has experienced a wide swath of trials and tribulations. The continued presence of Covid-19 alone has forced small and large startups to be nimble and adaptable. This is especially true in these startup’s marketing departments, where marketing professionals have needed to carefully craft their messaging and storytelling. But even putting Covid-19 aside, 2021 presents chances for marketers that can identify trends and focus on execution.

Consequently, we want to share five of the most significant marketing trends for this year. Whether you are a solopreneur or work in the marketing department for a larger business, understanding these trends can help you have an extremely successful 2021.

1. The Continued Rise of Sustainability

The sustainability movement has been a key trend in recent years, but it is expected to grow even more in 2021. Above all, customers in essentially every industry are researching how certain companies are positively contributing to the world. In fact, according to one survey, 81% of consumers strongly believe that sustainability and environmentalism should receive support and/or help from companies.

Marketers across all industries and sectors should keep this trend in mind. Don’t hesitate to highlight the positive steps that your company is taking to promote sustainability or sustainable causes. Doing so will build goodwill with your audience—whether they are current customers or just discovered your company.

2. The Proliferation of Digital Video Advertising

We have reached a point where digital video has become arguably the most important way of connecting with your audience. Whether you are creating a quick video for a particular prospect or a more polished video for your entire email list, digital video can help you build strong, organic relationships with your audience.

According to one recent study, 78% of people watch online video content every week. 55% watch online video content every day. No matter what you are selling, there is a significant digital audience that wants to hear from you. You just need to create stellar video content and upload it to where your audience likes to hang out.

3. The Underrated Importance of Voice Search

The rise of Alexa and Google Nest has signaled that voice search is here to stay. Smart speakers are drastically improving, and along with this, consumers’ interest in using them for a whole host of tasks. Moreover, voice artificial intelligence and machine learning are delivering more relevant search results for inquiring users.

It’s worth your time to consider how you can leverage voice in your marketing portfolio. Whether you are targeting prospects that are sitting at home or those that are leveraging voice search on their cell phones. Doing so will let you connect with your prospects in a new way and potentially generate more sales.

4. The Appealing Nature of Personalization

The Internet has let companies large and small deliver more personalized interactions. Better yet, customers enjoy these increasing levels of personalization. One survey showed that 90% of U.S. consumers found marketing personalization appealing.

There are always ways to personalize your interactions with prospects or customers. Even if it is just using their first name in emails and phone calls, personalization makes it much more likely that you’ll develop close relationships with your audience. In other words, it can be a game-changer in generating more leads and conversions.

5. The Effectiveness of Featured Snippets

Finally, featured snippets will become an increasingly important tool in marketers’ portfolios. Obtaining the featured snippet slot on your preferred SERP can go a long way in building brand equity and generating more sales.

Yes, there is no magic formula to generating strong SEO. That being said, strategically select your keywords and try to obtain featured snippet slots for those keywords. While it is certainly an investment, the returns are extremely satisfactory.

Get Started Today

Leveraging some (or all) of these trends, you will be able to better connect with your audience and achieve your marketing goals.

Like any marketing work, some trial and error may be involved here. You may choose to leverage a specific trend above, yet may not see an immediate effect. Ultimately, play the long game. By being patient, focusing on execution, and paying attention to your audience’s desires and goals, you will get that much closer toward marketing bliss.

AirSend is a versatile digital workspace to share files, send messages, have voice / video calls, and complete tasks. Click here to see how AirSend can help you.

Improved Channel actions tab, search capabilities, and Channel sidebar.

We hope you’re having a great start to your new year! Here are some big improvements we’ve made to AirSend over the holidays.

Redesigned Channel Actions Tab

Quickly Add Actions and Subactions – You can now add new actions using the add actions bar at the top of the tab. You can also quickly add subactions to actions. Enter your to-do list in seconds so you don’t forget anything and add the details in later.

Search Actions – Instead of wasting time scrolling, find tasks easily by running a search right in the Actions tab.

Conveniently Sort Actions – You can now sort Channel actions by person, due date, or status with a single click using the three icons at the top right side of the Actions tab.

AirSend’s Improved Channel Actions Tab

Expanded Search Capabilities

Quickly Preview Files – Clicking on a file in your search results now takes you to a full preview of that file in Office 365 so that you can make sure you’ve found what you’re looking for.

Expand Your Search View – Instead of endlessly scrolling through results, clicking “Show All” opens a window where you can more easily see your search results all in one place.

AirSend’s Improved Search Capabilities

Improved Channel Sidebar

Easily Create New Channels – You can now create new channels straight from the Channel sidebar using the plus button in the upper left-hand corner.

Access Channel Actions – Conveniently mute, unmute, close, or leave any Channel without disrupting your workflow.

Simplify Sidebar View – You can now filter Channels to easily find what you’re looking for. You can also collapse chat previews for a cleaner view.

AirSend’s Improved Channel Sidebar

What Now?

While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far, the AirSend journey is far from over. Stay tuned for the next AirSend update for more improvements. Also, if you haven’t signed up for AirSend yet – sign up now for free lifetime access to AirSend Pro.

Have suggestions for what we should improve next? Let us know by completing an AirSend User Survey for the chance to win $100.

Here are the 4 best alternatives to WhatsApp that may be better equipped to maintain your privacy and data security.

WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging app with 1 billion users in 180 countries. However, the app’s newly announced privacy policies have caused a move to WhatsApp alternatives like Signal, Telegram, and AirSend. Users are leaving WhatsApp for other platforms primarily to protect their data privacy and safety.

What’s Happening with WhatsApp?

In 2014, data privacy experts expressed concern after Facebook acquired WhatsApp. This is because Facebook and its associated apps had experienced security issues resulting in the leakage of thousands of users’ information. At the time, WhatsApp addressed these concerns by saying that it would remain a stand-alone app that would continue to prioritize data security.

That is about to change.

In October of 2020, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that WhatsApp will be integrating with Facebook Messenger and Instagram to “function… like one connected interoperable system.”

The implementation of this change has caused data privacy and security-conscious users to leave WhatsApp in favor of other apps that promise more privacy and safety.

WhatsApp’s Privacy and Security Problems

WhatsApp provides users with end-to-end encryption, but its legal disclaimer says that the app collects and shares a large amount of user information with “the Facebook family of companies.” The information collected, and possibly shared, includes phone numbers, profile pictures, status updates, address books, payment data, and more. It also includes data such as IP addresses, ISPs and identifiers. This could potentially allow Facebook to locate any users who are on WhatsApp, Facebook, or Instagram.

In addition to preexisting privacy concerns, users are worried that WhatsApp’s security will also be compromised once it is integrated with Facebook Messenger and Instagram — apps that have experienced problems before. After all, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Source: MyBroadBand

What are the Alternatives?

Given the issues outlined above, WhatsApp users are flocking to alternatives that are more privacy and security-conscious. Here are the 4 best alternatives to WhatsApp that may be better equipped to maintain your privacy and data security.

Signal

Pros: Signal is a simple messaging app that is free, encrypted, and available on all mobile platforms as well as on desktop. Like WhatsApp, it provides voice/video calling in addition to messaging. A bonus feature is that users can set a time frame for automatic deletion so that messages disappear when users want them to.

Cons: The only downside to Signal is that it doesn’t come with animated emojis. You can import your own emojis into the app, though.

Threema

Pros: Based in Switzerland, Threema provides various features that increase user privacy and security. Messages are deleted after delivery; contacts and group information are stored on your phone, not in-app; and you can use a Threema ID instead of your phone number to connect with people. All messages, statuses, voice calls, and files are encrypted. And like Signal, Threema is available on all platforms.

Cons: You have to pay for it ($1.99 in the US).

AirSend

Pros: Like Signal, AirSend is another free and simple way to safely send messages and have voice/video calls. It is available on all mobile platforms as well as desktop, and unlike Signal, AirSend comes with emojis. Bonus features include the ability to quickly share and organize files, take notes, and create to-do lists. And the app does not collect your data.

Apple Store – AirSend app

Cons: The app was designed to be a simple online workspace rather than a pure messaging app, so it may have more features than a messaging app user wants or needs.

Telegram

Pros: Another alternative to WhatsApp, Telegram provides encryption for messaging and voice calls and the ability to automatically delete messages after a set time. The app is available across platforms, and also supports multimedia file sharing like AirSend.

Cons: An important thing to note is that your messages are not automatically encrypted in Telegram. This is a feature that must be enabled in your app settings.

Maintaining Your Data Privacy

If you want to continue having private conversations, you may want to consider using one of the 4 alternatives discussed above instead of WhatsApp. While the ultimate security consequences of WhatsApp’s merge with Facebook Messenger and Instagram are yet to be revealed, the app’s privacy issues are enough to warrant change.