ACCESSIBILITY AND RESTRICTIONS FOR MESSENGERS


 

Severe weakness found in messengers for the Globals

  • Mandatory phone number registration without acceptance for a VoIP number
    • No telephone-relay network providers (traditional phone number) currently provide access to SMS while overseas, without global roaming, that requires additional expenses merely to receive verification numbers only to be able to login to one's own user account.  Global eSIM normally cannot obtain such numbers for its customers due to (long-story-short) government restrictions.
    • Many apps that require a phone number usually block their users from using the app upon arriving to a different country until the phone verification is done.
  • Lack of Web App for browsers:
    • Lack of WebApp means a device must be turned on at all times.  Devices usually gets its battery drained a lot faster in other countries, especially in countries with larger governments, because their apps/SIM include tracking that runs at all times in the background, because apps are downloading foreign version of their app contents in different countries, and because one will have limited access to WiFi and will be relying on data at all times while ability to charge a device may be limited if a person is in a country where power-outlets are differently shaped/rated than the home country.  Many Globals.
    • Web App allows users to login from any devices as long as there is Internet: even from a computer in a hotel's lobby which is very useful when traveling.
  • Mandatory QR Code Login via phone app:
    • Requiring a phone app means the app cannot be used in case of an emergency described in the previous paragraph.
  • Some countries, such as China and North & South Korea, require government ID to be registered in order to get any phone number including prepaid and postpaid numbers.  With a "foreigner phone number", a person will be limited in using even messenger apps as an "unverified user" because one's phone number was not attached to a citizenship information.  Also, such accounts often gets blocked after a few months until a verification is done by sending a copy of a photo ID to the messenger developers.
Table for wide screens
Vendors Login w/ Username
 Login /w Email     
Login /w Phone #
 Gov't Relayed Phone # Required
 Email Required
 Gov ID Info Required
 Multi Lingual
 Login without a phone Self- update Email
Discord N YES YES Y Y NO N YES YES
Line
 N N Required Y NO NO N N YES
Meta Instagram
 YES YES YES NO Y NO N YES YES
Meta Facebook
 YES YES YES NO NO NO N YES YES
Meta WhatsApp
 N N Required NO NO NO N N YES
Microsoft Skype
 N YES YES NO NO
 NO N YES YES
Snapchat
 N YES YES NO NO NO N YES YES
Telegram N N Required Y NO NO YES N YES
Tencent QQ
 YES YES Required Y Y Y N YES YES
Tencent WeChat
 YES YES YES NO Y NO N YES YES
Kakaotalk N YES Required Y Y Y N N
 N
Zoom YES YES YES NO Y NO N YES
 YES

COMPATIBILITIES ACROSS DEVICES (OS)

Table for desktop browsers
Vendors Web App
 Android Universal
 Google Android
 iOS
 Mac
 Windows NT
 Windows RT
 Linux
Discord YES YES YES YES YES YES N YES
Line N N Phone App Required Phone App Required N YES N N
Meta Instagram
 YES N YES YES N N YES N
Meta Facebook
 YES N YES YES YES YES YES N
Meta WhatsApp
 Phone App Required N Phone App Required Phone App Required YES YES YES N
Microsoft Skype
 YES YES
(Amazon)
 YES YES YES YES YES YES
Snapchat YES N YES YES N N YES N
Telegram Phone App Required YES Phone App Required Phone App Required YES YES YES YES
Tencent QQ
 N N YES YES YES YES N YES
Tencent WeChat
 Phone App Required N Phone App Required Phone App Required YES N YES N
Kakaotalk N N Phone App Required Phone App Required YES YES N N
Zoom YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES