Yes signal is bad, spyrecord is bad. Simplex does have an app but it's connection with delivery messages is a little quirky which means you need to restart the app if you go in & don't notice any new messages. The quirkiness is being worked out & it won't be till 2027 that everything is built to fix it. But as it is now it works fine enough.
If nobody you know uses it then that's okay i'm sure the people you know are not tech savy enough to know the differences or actually read source code. But what should be common sense to everyone no matter your knowledge is if the governments encourage use of a specific chat app. Common sense red flag = not safe or secure no matter what they bullshit. Also 2fa ensures your identified.
As for these apps that you never heard of they have been around over 4 years now maybe 5 or longer I only started using them 4 years ago. Read the documentation on the protocols to comprehend why this is actually more secure to chat on them almost any other chat app. It's the protocol that makes the difference to a non-tech person they would't notice or understand the difference.
https://simplex.chatAs for arcane chat this is made by the lead developer of delta chat. It's his personal fork of delta chat because he likes to make changes & not wait for company approval so he does them on arcanechat while it takes months for a feature to be approved by the corporation delta chat.
https://arcanechat.meI use this because it looks like instant messenger but really it's encrypted email under the hood which gives a certain usage of functionality. That's WebXDC which allows you to use apps within an email. This means you can use apps in a group & we can interact with each other.
I use this for collaborating with others on documents, running polls for ideas, sharing links privately, & playing small games with friends. But the most important part of these apps. No big brother threatening to ban or call cops like this is some kinda prison camp.
I just want to chat with my friends without all the shit & these both give me that!