Ello: the ad-free and privacy-respecting social network on Android

Of course, there are Facebook and Twitter in the challenging world of social networks, but there are also some alternatives like Ello, which is ad-free and preserves privacy. Having acquired millions of users within months thanks to its web version, Ello will now attack smartphones. An app for Android, iOS and Windows Phone.

Making a splash at launch, thanks to the lack of communications and ads that emphasize respect for privacy, Ello has grown over time as only a few features were included in the initial version. Originally available by invitation only, the social network is now public.

• See also: Ello, the anti-Facebook social network that protects your privacy

Regarding these functions, it is now possible to publish YouTube videos, share audios directly from SoundCloud, block unwanted users and even like a post to find them later.

Ello is therefore upping a gear, and will now try to take on Facebook on smartphones, which had surpassed the one billion download limit on phones long before the social network went ad-free on the Web. Just like the web version, the app Ello offers a simple interfaceand accessible to everyone.

The app searches your contacts for this last point, it’s always possible to discover posts from strangers that might interest you, or even search for friends and even invite them. For those concerned about the data collected for invitations, Ello co-founder Paul Budnitz wanted to comfort him by explaining: data is encryptedand that they are not sent to Ello’s servers.

• See also: Facebook, why are you addicted and how do you get rid of it?

If you’re wondering how a social network can survive without advertising, it’s simple, Ello offers directly to different companies as well as individuals to sell their products on the social network. To do this, take a picture of an object, draw an area around the item, and show a price. Then, if anyone is interested, all they have to do is click on it to go through the buy box.

Of course, Ello takes a small commission and the developers are hopeful this will keep them going. Especially since plans don’t grow to be giant As Facebook can do, but staying with about twenty employees as it is now.

Unfortunately, the Ello app is currently only available on iOS, but a release is planned for Android and Windows Phone. It should be the second available this summerso we shouldn’t wait too long to see it land on all smartphones.

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