Recently, WhatsApp announced that its users outside the European Union and the UK could lose access to their accounts unless they agreed to allow its parent company Facebook to collect their WhatsApp data. Apparently, after February 8, Facebook will get access to the user’s WhatsApp locations and phone numbers. After that announcement, rivals of the messaging service have experienced a huge surge in popularity, including the encrypted messaging service Signal.

The Encrypted Messaging Service Has Seen a Huge Rise In Popularity

WhatsApp was purchased by Facebook some two years ago, and back then, users were given a one-time opportunity to refuse to share their data. However, new users would not be offered the same choice. Soon after WhatsApp’s announcement, an app-analytic company revealed data that showed a 4,200% weekly increase in downloads for Signal – a rival encrypted messaging service. Apparently, people are not very happy to share more of their information with the social media giant and prefer using a more secure service.

Signal Saw Nearly 7.5 Million Installs and Was Endorsed By Elon Musk

While Signal was rising in popularity, another encrypted messaging service, Telegram, also experienced a huge growth of 91%, getting 9 million new users. Most of the new users of these encrypted messaging apps were located in India. For Signal, some one million downloads occurred in America, making it the largest market for the company.

Tesla billionaire and the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, recently endorsed Signal by posting a tweet that simply instructed people to use Signal. That same day, Freedom of the Press president Edward Snowden also tweeted to say that he uses Signal himself. This sudden increase in downloads has also caused a temporary slow-down of the verification service of Signal. Signal tweeted regarding the slow-down, saying that signal verification codes were delayed because many new people were trying to join the service. Signal officials also said that they could barely register their own excitement and added that they were working with carriers to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

It seems that Nintendo is single-handedly trying to keep people active while they are all shut in at home. Following the hugely popular and in-demand ‘Ring Fit Adventure,’ Nintendo is introducing ‘Jump Rope Challenge,’ and it’s completely free to play.

Keeping Things Simple

Thanks to the Nintendo Switch games console, people can now get a free workout in their homes. ‘Ring Fit Adventure’ has become hugely popular during the lockdown, and in many cases, the game is sold out. So if you haven’t been able to get your hands on the adventure, ‘Jump Rope Challenge’ could be the free alternative for you. Players use the Joy-Con controllers as jump rope handles as they swing them around as they jump.

Virtual Hopping

‘Jump Rope Challenge’ gives gamers the initial challenge of 100 jumps in a day, but you can adjust the challenge depending on your fitness and skill level. The game uses jumping bunny rabbits to show your progress, meaning there is a certain fun element to distract you from simply jumping rope. One advantage of this game is the fact it doesn’t require any additional accessories, unlike ‘Ring Fit Adventure,’ which has its own equipment. The game is a simple one, but you can challenge a friend as there is a two-player mode.

Success of Ring Fit Adventure

Nintendo’s ‘Ring Fit Adventure’ was so successful that it saw shortages in supply worldwide. ‘Jump Rope Challenge’ is another game from Nintendo that gets its customers moving with a focus on health and wellbeing. Nintendo says, “It’s all the fun of jumping, but there’s not a rope in sight.”

Thanks to Nintendo, you can now get a good jump rope workout without having to learn how to actually jump over a rope. The free game is available to download from the Nintendo eStore right now until the end of September.