I use it since 2014 and have felt that it's very performant (more so than Signal or Whatsapp, Messenger, or Viber).

Also, it adds many useful features that other messengers didn't always have and many still don't have, for example Saved Messages, Scheduled Messages, Spoiler Messages, Reply to Message, message formatting (bold, monospace, etc), just to name a few off the top of my head.

Signal has "Scheduled Messages, Spoiler Messages, Reply to Message, message formatting (bold, monospace, etc)". I don't know what Saved Messages are, maybe it doesn't have those.

Oh, and it's end-to-end encrypted by default.

It does, in Signal it's called "Note to Self". I am saying that in general, Telegram is the first to offer such new feautres.

I don't know a single person who doesn't use Telegram.

What country do you live in?

Same In the EU, no ones that's legit uses Telegram, except scammers that you can run into in local "graigslist" website.

"Same in the EU" - but you're actually make an opposite statement than the GP (GP said "everyone i know uses telegram" and you said "nobody uses telegram")

indeed you are right, I did read the opposite for some reason.

Kazakhstan.

That makes sense, AFAIK Telegram is most popular in the post-Soviet countries.

That in itself is a red flag. Things don't 'just happen' in those places. Don't ask me how I know.

I don't know a single person who does.

Yeah, plenty have accounts, but nobody uses it to actually chat.

?!

Telegram is often praised here for their features that helped them to grow and made people keep using it. Something that Signal should consider doing.

They have 900million monthly active users.

Yes, their app and UX is absolutely delightful.

I don't get this. I'm in the EU and nearly everybody I know has Telegram.

Telegram has a huge advantage versus WhatsApp: it's not Meta. Then the Telegram UI is really excellent.

When you tell people all your friends and family are using it and that's it's not from Facebook, they usually install it on the spot. Then they're hooked.

I'm in France and don't know anyone using it.

Except the government, as reported in the news.

Actually the only time I used it it's because I needed to chat with a Russian SaaS personnel.

I know few people who use Telegram either. All my contacts and I use Signal here.

I don't mind WhatsApp being Meta but Telegram is more lightweight and UI is far superior (for instance, ability to edit messages). Unfortunately, most people still use WhatsApp, you can't really avoid using it.

I know a quite a lot of people (including me) who use it as a kinda RSS reader to keep up to date with Russian cyber security threat actors.

Can say the same for Viber and to a lesser extent Whatsapp. Not to mention Signal. I'd guess popular IRC servers have more real users than Signal.

Many do. But most use it as a forum software, or to send files, than as a messenger.

i use it for messaging and everyone else i know does too. "most"? any sources?

"Most" was anecdota here.

Oh and I also use it for messaging sometimes. But my main use case is participating in various groups, like in a forum way. And my peer group does the same and I have not met a single person that uses telegram mainly for messaging. Most also have signal or whatsapp for that.

For Russian language content it feels a lot like pre-enshittification internet. You get blogs on all possible topics without ads or "Algorithm". Just read what you subscribed to, in whatever order you want.

I would never trust in with any confidential information though.

As with any messenger, it depends on countries and regions and groups of people.

Everyone in my friend group is using it.

In terms of functionality, speed, fluidity of the interface everyone is trying to catch up to Telegram. And doing a half-assed job of it

I don't think Signal is even trying tbh

This is the most out of touch comment. Everybody is running after telegram, they are innovating all the time. If you want to see what Whatsapp will look like in a year, use telegram now.