August 17, 2026
Why I Switched to Matrix (and Why You Should Too)
What even is Matrix?
Matrix is an open standard and protocol for real-time communication.1 In practice, it’s mostly used as a chat app, comparable to WhatsApp or Signal, with all the features you’d expect: text, voice and video calls, emoji, stickers, and a few other extras.
So why would you want to use Matrix?
Let’s start with why I started using Matrix. As a developer, I’ve known about it for a while and had tried it before, but the moment I actually switched was when I heard the EU had passed “Chat Control 1.0.”
Short version: it would require providers to scan your private messages for illegal content before they even get encrypted, which is a fancy way of saying “no more real end-to-end encryption.” I’m not going to write a whole rant about it here, but this video explains it way better than I could.
So that’s why I switched. But why should you? To answer that, it helps to look at why WhatsApp is a bad option in the first place.
1. Privacy
WhatsApp’s privacy model, and that of most mainstream messengers, is fundamentally flawed. Every message you send or call you make goes through WhatsApp’s centralized servers, and messages are stored there too. That means Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, could in theory look through all of your messages at any time. Who knows if they already do.
You might say that’s impossible because everything is end-to-end encrypted, and that’s true. But metadata (who messaged whom, when, from which device) is still visible to them. Can we really trust that? In an extreme case, they could even push an update that gives them access to your locally stored encryption keys and decrypt everything. Is that likely? Probably not. But it could happen.
2. Social Media???
WhatsApp is a messaging app. Or at least it was. In recent years, features nobody really asked for have crept in, like channels, which are basically social-media posts that anyone can join. I don’t want that in my messenger.
3. AI
Yes, AI gets a section too. WhatsApp recently added the “Meta AI” button, one of its most criticized features, and it’s bad enough on its own. What makes it worse is that it can’t be removed. I’ve never used it, and I probably never will.
Those are a few reasons why something better is worth considering.
So how does Matrix improve on this?
On privacy: you get to choose where your data lives, via a so-called “homeserver,” an application that stores your messages and data encrypted. Homeservers aren’t run by a single company; anyone can develop their own, or more realistically, self-host one that someone else built. That means there are lots of people running their own servers, plus public ones you can pick from instead of handing your data to one corporation.
The social media and AI complaints are easier to answer, mostly because the features just aren’t there. There’s no feed, no channels getting pushed at you, no assistant baked into the client that you have to actively work around. It’s just a chat app. If you want one, you can go find an AI bot to add yourself, but it won’t be waiting for you by default.
How to switch to Matrix right now
First, pick a client: the app you actually use to send messages. Head to matrix.org/ecosystem/clients, browse the list, and pick one you like. The most common are Element X on mobile and Element Web/Desktop on PC, but there are plenty of others. Personally, I’d recommend Sable, it’s the one that’s felt the most polished and just stayed out of my way.
Once you’ve installed a client, create an account. Some clients default to the matrix.org homeserver, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Pick something else instead. A good list of options is here. My homeserver isn’t public, but email me and I’ll likely set you up on it (matrix.kjan.de).
You’ll then pick a username and password. Your username combines with your homeserver to form your unique address, similar to an email. Mine is @jank:matrix.kjan.de.
After that, your client will probably ask you to save your encryption passphrase or key. Keep it somewhere safe. You’ll need it on other devices to decrypt your encrypted messages.
And that’s it. You have a Matrix account. Feel free to message me to test it out.
So should you switch?
I won’t pretend Matrix is perfect. The initial sync when you set up a new client can be slow, and every so often you’ll hit an “unable to decrypt” message because two of your devices didn’t agree on encryption keys. Annoying, but not a dealbreaker.
The bigger problem is the one every WhatsApp alternative runs into: nobody else is on it. You can have the most private, most decentralized setup in the world and it won’t matter if none of your friends will install a second chat app for you.
It’s not quite as bad as it sounds though, because of bridges. A bridge connects your Matrix account to an account on another network, like WhatsApp, Discord or Telegram, so messages from those platforms show up right in your Matrix client too. It means you can start using Matrix as your one inbox without forcing everyone you know to switch on day one. They’re not perfect and depend on someone maintaining the bridge for that specific platform, but they take a lot of the pressure off.
That said, I still think of bridges as training wheels. Once the people you actually talk to switch over too, things get noticeably better: real end-to-end encryption instead of routing through someone else’s bridge, and no risk of losing your chat history if that bridge goes down. So it’s worth nudging the people close to you to make the jump eventually, rather than bridging them forever. Worth the effort.
Still, it isn’t the right move for everyone (good luck getting your grandma to switch), but there are real benefits for most people: better privacy, or just an escape from WhatsApp’s slow enslopification. Whatever your reason, it’s worth considering.