I wish Signal was as popular. Or that Matrix was as user-friendly.

The problem we have is trying to get our friends to jump ship to a new alternative. Pretty much any barrier, even small, prevents people from doing this because they already have a working app that does what they need.

trying to get our friends to jump ship to a new alternative

People keep saying this, but the problem is even those who know better keep Whatsapp installed alongside Signal. Trying means leaving Zuckerberg's messenger and notifying your friends you're only on Signal from now on. I did that and even my pre-boomer parents now use Signal.

they already have a working app that does what they need.

Not if they need to contact me.

As a user of both iOS and Android, that would greatly inconvenience me due to the lack of multi-device compatibility.

or that signal had a web client

I'm pretty sure Matrix has both iOS and Android clients.

Oh I was referring to Signal

Its an electron app, how hard can it even be?

Worked well for me. Although all the people I care about had already Signal, Element or Threema installed, so I am not a great pull factor.

And those everyday moms from child care or from wherever can reach me via SMS, for the two messages/year.