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@Cambacombo

Hello,

I very well understand your need for a phone number in the USA or elsewhere.  I wish I had an answer!  I am looking for the same. 

For others that are aware of the security risks of Zuckerberg (Meta) products and for which WhatsApp, FaceTime and Instagramm are not an option, I just want to share what I believe to be a secure (private) solution.

Since Pawel Durov was arrested in August 2014, in France like he was arrested in Russia 10 years earlier, Telegram sadly is not an option anymore.

Teleguard (Swiss) allows you to register without leaving a phone number, is supposedly in all cases end-to-end encrypted, has except in one point acceptable terms of service.  It also allows you to call for very reasonable prices (mostly cheaper than Skype) into land lines and cellular nets and has a functioning  customer service.  Its online presence and help is rather limited though.

If somebody knows more please post it here or send me a private message.

Thank you

Teleguard (Swiss) allows you to register without leaving a phone number, is supposedly in all cases end-to-end encrypted, has except in one point acceptable terms of service. It also allows you to call for very reasonable prices (mostly cheaper than Skype) into land lines and cellular nets and has a functioning customer service. Its online presence and help is rather limited though. - @armin31

I just took a look at this on Google Playstore. It has a lot of bad reviews

@Fred

Hi, Fred!

Thank you for your concern / response.

I do not use google playstore as it is not safe (private), as with google you have no privacy whatsoever, they spy out everything like Meta does.  So I do not know what it says there.    I had used Signal (recommended by Edward Snowdon) for somne time but even that was pushing me around, so I stopped using that.

Threema (the other Swiss messenger) is not free.  So I never investigated it further.

If privacy is important to someone, Teleguard is really almost the only alternative,  As it requires no phone number and no e-mail address to be disclosed.  So it is much safer than Telegram ever was.

The disadvantages is the hitherto small number of users.  This could be a peeve of google playstore users, but I just started using it recently and I have brought new people to the app already, every privacy conscious person signing up and bringing new users will make the growth of Teleguard snowball.

Here are some comments on trust pilot and in media.   It is Swiss so Central Europe is where it is most popular.  If you use a Browser with translation function you can easily read the German language links.

trust pilot:

reviews by IT-media (german language):

I have not experiences any technical issues and if some come up I can leave without anything having been used about me.

Hope this explains my recommendation further.

@Cambacombo

I use MagicJack which is like a US landline at home but also work anywhere in the world if I have WiFi or a good data connection.  Not free but has worked well for me…

I second Magic Jack. Works on your mobile but also a a US landline at home