> I also try to make sure my server has useful bots, a small thing but every bit of utility and differentiation with proprietary services helps.

Can you share more about this? I hadn't thought about this, but that's an advantage over SMS, though I don't have good ideas for bots my friends/family would enjoy.

> For that reason I bridge everything and always meet people where they are and constantly show off to them that even if they sms/telegram/WhatsApp/messenger/slack/discord/signal me then I get it in one app with no tracking or ads on my physical phone that I carry in my pocket.

How do you bridge SMS/WhatsApp to Matrix? Something like Beeper?