It also includes the people that deleted their Twitter accounts following the acquisition. I’m one of those people and I’m especially annoyed because I only used that blasted app only to register to some giveaways when I was in middle school. I have since discontinued that email account, but still.
I’m also interested in hearing more updates. Last I checked, Meta said it’s planning to release support for messages this year while call and video support would be released by 2027. I should mention that this was in october of 2024, before Trump took office. There’s a fair chance that Zuckerberg will seek to delay the process now that Trump took over and is threating retaliation against the EU if it chooses to strike back against abuses from US tech companies.
If anyone has more updates, by all means respond.
It is not an arrangement, nor attachment to Zuckerberg. It is not beneficial to Zuckerberg or Meta for this to happen and I assure you that they are not fans of the ideea either.
The EU did this to break Meta’s monopoly on communication. Right now I can’t ditch Whatsapp no matter how much I want to because everything in my life is connected to that blasted app. My university, my employers, my family, my friends, EVERYONE is using Whatsapp and Whatsapp only. If I were to delete it, I would be isolated. I would be able to convince my family to switch to another app and probably a few of my friends, but I sure as hell won’t be able to convince my workplace or my faculty to do it. Allowing third party apps to communicate with Whatsapp is the only way I can ditch his app.
I should also mention that this will only apply to the European Union. Meta will maintain its monopoly everywhere else. The EU is the only one that actually cares about consumer rights enough to pick a fight with the US over them and I’m thankful for that.
Edit: fixed some grammar.
I’m sorry, but choosing an OS solely on the nationality of its developers is just careless and should not be encouraged. You should primarily aim for functionality, privacy and security.
The only OS on your list that meets these requirements is Graphene which remains the only true alternative for Android and IOS on mobile devices. The main drawback is that it only works on Google devices due to their superior hardware. The rest of Android Roms lack severely in terms of security features and in some cases are even worse than simple Android. /e/ OS is one of them. The unlocked bootloader and the delay in security updates substantially reduce the security of your device. Mobile based Linux OS are underdeveloped and do not have access to most apps available on the market. They can be considered an alternative only if you use your phone for its basic features and for emailing.
If you can, get a Pixel and install Graphene on it. If not, degoogle your device as best as you can, use a vpn, a password manager and a private email provider.
EDIT: Here is a useful chart comparing all the Android Roms - https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm
If you really want to ditch Android, but you can’t get Graphene then your second best choice would be Calyx.