[eva1984]

Eww. Any replacement suggestion? Paid/subscription app is welcome, too.

[beefield]

What's wrong with email? (Honest question. Based on this discussion it is not considered an option worth mentioning.)

[aylmao]

At least in my case:

- I get too much spam, so I tend to check email less. - It's not as "real time" as I sometimes need it to be. Sill feels more like mail than like conversation. - I like to know when people read my messages (I know there's apps that allow this, but it's not ubiquitous) - I like to know when people are typing (aka, are currently in the conversation) - Different email programs send/format emails differently. Some seem to keep all the replies attached to the bottom of the latest message in a way my email program can't figure out and collapse.

I'm a fan of email tbh, and I wish more resources were invested in making it better, but I just don't think it lies in the same "space" as instant messaging.

[corobo]

Email is not an instant messenger. Probably not as frequent anymore but it can take days for you to receive an email in some cases

[daveFNbuck]

There are so many apps available for messaging right now. I use SMS, Hangouts, Twitter. Many people like Snapchat and Allo. You can try asking your friends which ones they use.

[eva1984]

Thx. But many of those are counting on ads too, like Twitter/Snapchat/Allo(maybe). I figure SMS might be my the only choice out there though.

[hendzen]

signal

[mzzter]

I second this.

[wodenokoto]

Line and WeChat rely mostly and purchases.

[joelrunyon]

Texting. Using your phone.