Chat Apps for Android: Messengers, Calls and Second Numbers

One tag, several kinds of chat

The tag collects different tools for talking to people, and they are not interchangeable. Some are full messengers with calls and groups, one is a workplace meeting platform, and others give you a second phone number so you can chat or register without exposing your main one. Picking by the label chat alone is how people end up with an app none of their friends use, so start from who you want to reach.

Apps in this tag

• Telegram: a messenger with groups, channels and cloud synced chats
• WhatsApp Messenger: the phone number based messenger with calls and group chats
• Facebook Messenger: the chat app tied to Facebook accounts, with voice and video calls
• Viber: a messenger with calls and group chats
• LINE: Calls & Messages: a messaging and calling app with stickers
• Zoom Workplace App: a meeting and video call app for work and study
• 2ndLine: an app that provides a second phone number for calls and texts
• 2nr Drugi Numer: another second number app in the same category
• GB WhatsApp New Version: a modified WhatsApp build with extra options, unofficial and not for everyone

How to choose

Pick the network first: a messenger is only useful where your contacts already are. Then decide what you need beyond text, such as big groups, file sharing, video meetings or a separate number. Think about privacy too: apps differ in whether chats are encrypted by default and how much they tie to your phone number, and the privacy and security tags are worth a look. For dating and meeting new people, see dating; for the broader picture, messengers and communication cover more tools.

Before installing

All of these need internet, and most need a phone number or an account to verify. Check the Android version and size on the card, and keep official apps up to date from their own sources. Modified messengers are a different story: they are not made by the original developer, they can break after protocol changes, and your account may be restricted for using them, so treat them as an experiment, never as the app for important conversations. Second number apps depend on the service staying active, so check that it still works for verification codes before relying on it. More apps are in apps.