Telegram

Telegram stands out because of its strong encryption (making intelligence services unhappy). And FireChat works without cellular service: users’ phones communicate directly, which was a popular feature during recent protests in Hong Kong.

Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging platform that can be used on mobile and desktop systems. It’s users can send messages and exchange photos, videos, stickers and files of any type. It was launched in 2013 in Russia and in February 2016 it announced that is had 100 million monthly active users with 35,000 new users signing up each day. Telegram doesn’t collect user data and so not much is known about its user demographics. Business of Apps reported in January 2016 that its users are most interested in money transfer features on their mobile messaging apps. Telegram is used by individuals and businesses. It focuses on speed and security, can be used on multiple devices at the same time and has stated that it will remain free for ever. It also supports group chats with up to 5000 members per group. In June 2015 Telegram announced a Bot API and platform for third party developers to create bots. In April 2016 it announced Bots 2.0, a new iteration of its bot platform with stacks of new features such as inline keyboards, callback and URL buttons, location permissions and on-the-fly message editing - atchai.com