Comment by AnthonyMouse

> Signal trades some decreased convenience (for example in terms of backup)

This can't be a barrier to adoption in practice because most people don't even know that it's a thing in order to consider it as a difference, and anyone who both does and cares about it from the outset would have no trouble setting up automatic backups with Signal, and then appreciate the privacy advantage.

> Whatsapp has more “cosmetic” features (polls,…).

https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/9971667844506-S...

> If you value privacy over convenience and other features Signal is a great choice. If you value convenience and other features over privacy Whatsapp is a great choice.

There is no actual reason to use Whatsapp except for the network effect.