Messaging apps have become an essential tool for our daily communication. However, not all platforms offer the same functionality. Here are the key features that I consider non-negotiable based on how they ensure effective communication across various contexts.
1 Voice and Video Calls
I am not a fan of texting all the time, especially since things like tone of voice and facial expressions can’t be conveyed. I have had way too many misunderstandings due to this glaring limitation (although emojis and stickers do alleviate it to some extent).
Furthermore, there are just some conversations that require real-time interaction due to being sensitive or extremely important. Moreover, I find that I can easily get distracted when I’m texting while multitasking. And when I get back to the person later on, the discussion is no longer relevant.
For these reasons, I prefer messaging apps to have video and voice call options. Plus, they’re just a fun way to communicate, particularly when it involves showing and telling.
2 File Sharing
If the person I’m chatting with wants to send a document, photo, video, or audio file—or vice versa—it should be possible to do so without leaving the app. Furthermore, for media files, the app should have the option to send high-quality versions. We shouldn’t have to resort to a third-party service (e.g. emails or cloud file sharing), which is very inconvenient.
3 Group Chats
Personally, I find group chats essential for two reasons. First, they allow me to connect with people who share similar interests as me, which is great for community building. Second, they make communicating the same message with more than one person more efficient. This is useful when collaborating with others on professional and personal projects—no need to have multiple one-on-one conversations.
I especially love how Meta went a step further and introduced communities in WhatsApp. These allow admins to organize related groups into one supergroup. This has led me to make more friends and discover more interesting content.
4 Dark Mode
I believe that every app, not just messaging apps, needs to have dark or night mode. I find it quite visually appealing due to how modern it looks. Furthermore, dark mode is known to reduce eye strain by reducing the amount of blue light that comes from your screen, especially in low-light conditions.
It’s great when I install a chat app and one of the things it asks me is if I want to sync my contacts. I always let it sync so that I can get to chatting with people I already know. I don’t have to go through the hassle of manually entering contacts.
I especially like how Telegram alerts me every time one of my contacts joins the platform. This allows me to instantly connect with them, especially if we haven’t spoken in a while or they aren’t on any of the other chat apps I use.
6 Cross-Platform Availability
I find it very convenient to be able to use a chat app regardless of device or operating system. This helps when I don’t want to touch my phone while working on a computer but still need to check my messages. It also goes beyond convenience for me by helping me avoid the temptation of mindless scrolling on social media when I see those notifications on my phone beckoning me to go down that rabbit hole.
7 Cloud Backups
There are times when I have been forced to switch phones or computers due to loss or damage. That’s why it is essential that a chat app be able to back up my messages, files, and other media to the cloud so that I can easily retrieve them on any device.
I need to be able to seamlessly continue conversations and redownload any media that has been sent to me when I switch devices. Also, it gives me peace of mind knowing that my chats are safe and secure in case I ever experience data loss.
8 Customizable Notifications
Customizing notifications is a must for me because I want to control the ones I see. Sometimes I want to see all of them so that I don’t miss a thing. But other times, I want to see only specific conversations to avoid notification overload. I should also be able to choose how pop-ups appear on the screen or disable them entirely.
I like how apps like WhatsApp handle this. For instance, I can mute certain conversations or turn off notifications for all chats when I want to concentrate on work. I can choose the art style for pop-ups or disable them completely.
Also, I should be able to change the notification sounds. There is nothing more annoying than being stuck with a notification sound I hate.
9 Powerful Security and Privacy Features
Security and privacy are extremely important when using any app that asks for your personal information. With security risks and digital threats on the rise, this is not an area I can compromise on.
Here are some of the security and privacy features I need in apps:
- End-to-end encryption: If a chat app has end-to-end encryption, I know that each message I send will be encrypted and can only be read on the recipient’s device and vice versa.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA): I need to know that people can’t access my account without requiring extra verification steps. And I think two-factor authentication is the best method to protect my account from unauthorized access.
- Disappearing messages: I should be able to send messages that are automatically deleted after a set period or immediately after viewing. This is useful when I send a message that contains sensitive information that I don’t want to remain in the chats or on the platform’s servers indefinitely.
- Encrypted backups: It’s not enough to just back up my chats on the cloud; they should be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access.
- Control of my permissions: I should be able to choose things like who can message me or add me to group chats.
In today’s digital age, we have no shortage of messaging apps to choose from, and it’s common to use more than one at a time. Some implement the features discussed above better or differently than others. But for me, they need to be there, or I’m not using the app.
