Of 16 messenger apps, 15 have essential deficiencies in their data protection declarations. This also applies to test winner Signal.
Nevertheless, Stiftung Warentest recommends the app as an alternative to market leader WhatsApp because it is functionally better and also technically more versatile.
End-to-end encryption
All messenger services have been tested for both Android and iOS if they are offered for both systems.
When it comes to the important topic of security, eight apps with preset end-to-end encryption can score points. For other apps, most of which are free, this must first be activated. In some cases, the chats end up on the provider's servers unencrypted.
Range of functions
The test team also checked the range of functions, whether the apps are easy to use and how sparingly they use user data.
When it comes to the core message function, almost all services were convincing. When it came to making calls with poor reception, only WhatsApp was convincing.
Further differences were revealed in group functions, attaching files, the searchability of chats and the emoji search, also in German.
data protection
15 of the 16 services tested showed significant weaknesses in the data protection declaration, which is why test winner Signal did not get beyond the overall grade of good (2.3).
Wire is the laudable exception here. WhatsApp, which belongs to Facebook's parent company Meta, proves to be incomplete and non-transparent on this point.
Telegram is no longer just a messenger
The foundation did not give Telegram a quality rating because the service is no longer just a messenger, but, according to the Federal Ministry of Justice, also a social network.
Groups there can have up to 200,000 members. This results in legal obligations, the fulfillment of which could not be verified during the test. Telegram has been criticized because reported criminal content was often not deleted there.
The messenger apps test can be found in the March issue of test magazine and is available online at www.test.de/messenger .
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Source: Stiftung Warentest
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