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Signal WhatsApp Chats Import

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Re: Signal WhatsApp Chats Import

#31

Post by moxie »

FreakyT wrote: post #16
prophesi wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What went wrong with their local device transfer solution? Asking as I'm on iOS and have yet to get a new phone.

Their solution (as documented here: https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007059752-Ba... ) requires that you place the devices "nearby" and wait for them to detect one another. For whatever reason, neither phone ever "saw" the other one (despite them being on the same network and physically next to one another). I tried this about 10 times before I finally gave up. (iPhone SE / iPhone 12 Pro) What made it…

Yeah, bummer. There were some iOS 14 changes that made this stop working as reliably, which was unfortunately right around the time people were getting new devices. It should be better now, and we're working on more stuff in this area.

Re: Signal WhatsApp Chats Import

#32

Post by colordrops »

_l4jh wrote: post #19

I have been using Signal for two years now and I love it. However I really, really hope they can work on a good backup and restore process as losing my message history because I have to reinstall the app on my desktop[1] or have to reset my phone is a horrible experience. Just build an encrypted blob and zip it up and pop it on my iCloud or Google Drive or leave it local and let me deal with it but I need something .…

This already exists in Android.

Re: Signal WhatsApp Chats Import

#33

Post by davemtl »

_l4jh wrote: post #19

I have been using Signal for two years now and I love it. However I really, really hope they can work on a good backup and restore process as losing my message history because I have to reinstall the app on my desktop[1] or have to reset my phone is a horrible experience. Just build an encrypted blob and zip it up and pop it on my iCloud or Google Drive or leave it local and let me deal with it but I need something .…

Signal has a method to backup chats, at least on Android. It's under Settings > Chats and media > Chat backup. Baffling if this feature isn't available on iPhone.

Re: Signal WhatsApp Chats Import

#34

Post by colordrops »

qznc wrote: post #30
sjaak wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is keeping a chat history important? I don't take notes of IRL conversation I have, they're ephemeral. Not trolling, honestly curious :-)

Still annoying is that all groups disappear. Only once someone else writes something, they are available again.

I believe it's because they are not stored on a server. They only disappear if you delete all the messages. I suppose it could keep an index of groups locally to the phone though.

Re: Signal WhatsApp Chats Import

#35

Post by eat_veggies »

sjaak wrote: post #6
FreakyT wrote: post #5

The issue with Signal that annoys me most is the complete lack of any meaningful backup/export on iOS. I lost my entire chat history when I got a new phone because their bizarre "proximity based" solution failed.

Why is keeping a chat history important? I don't take notes of IRL conversation I have, they're ephemeral. Not trolling, honestly curious :-)

They're different mediums with different expectations of ephemerality. Chat history sits somewhere between speaking IRL and sending letters (but to be clear, is not a simple combination; it's its own thing) and nobody burns their letters when they move to a new house.

People do burn their letters for valid reasons (or use more naturally ephemeral media like phone calls, talking IRL, or Signal's disappearing messages) but those reasons are orthogonal to moving house or getting a new phone.

In any case, if people want to save chat history, the appropriate response is to support that requirement rather than to tell users that no, we've decided that they actually do not want to do that.

Re: Signal WhatsApp Chats Import

#36

Post by Forbo »

davemtl wrote: post #33
_l4jh wrote: post #19

I have been using Signal for two years now and I love it. However I really, really hope they can work on a good backup and restore process as losing my message history because I have to reinstall the app on my desktop[1] or have to reset my phone is a horrible experience. Just build an encrypted blob and zip it up and pop it on my iCloud or Google Drive or leave it local and let me deal with it but I need something .…

Signal has a method to backup chats, at least on Android. It's under Settings > Chats and media > Chat backup. Baffling if this feature isn't available on iPhone.

As mentioned elsewhere in the discussion they now provide a way to migrate data from one iPhone to a another, but that's assuming that you have the old device still.

Re: Signal WhatsApp Chats Import

#37

Post by Aachen »

looperhacks wrote: post #20
plibither8 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was there any reason provided for the removal? I think it should in fact be essential in EU where they must follow. GDPR regulations and allow users to export their data easily.

Chat history isn't stored server side, so gdpr doesn't apply here.

I always wondered about that. If a closed source app keeps my data in their silo, but I own the hardware their software runs on, I can't do anything with GDPR? Aren't they the controller if they run the software?

Re: Signal WhatsApp Chats Import

#38

Post by Forbo »

costsNall wrote: post #29
karakanb wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, they literally mean "history". Some conversation with a friend who passed away, chats with an ex-lover, remembering school years, tons of memories. I believe at this point those messages are an important part of my past. In other words, if I had a chance to record, search and navigate through real life conversations, I would have done that too; it is way better to have records than to try to remember things.

As someone who has saved no chat logs, and just deleted pics, letters, and such from a long gone marriage; IMO, they’re not that important. In fact, shedding that memory shed cognitive distraction I did not know I had. If I want to connect to people I do it here and now. Talking to the past in my head is unhealthy.

I vouched for your comment, because your experience is still a valid data point.

As a counter to that, I lost a close friend to suicide. It was really good to be able to reflect back on the conversations we had and relive the lighter moments we shared together. I agree that dwelling on those things can be unhealthy, but they can also be a valuable part of the healing process.

Re: Signal WhatsApp Chats Import

#39

Post by cesarb »

_l4jh wrote: post #19

I have been using Signal for two years now and I love it. However I really, really hope they can work on a good backup and restore process as losing my message history because I have to reinstall the app on my desktop[1] or have to reset my phone is a horrible experience. Just build an encrypted blob and zip it up and pop it on my iCloud or Google Drive or leave it local and let me deal with it but I need something .…

Doesn't Signal already have backup? IIRC, when enabled it once per day saves all messages (encrypted with a backup key, which you have to write down somewhere) to /sdcard/Signal, and you can then use Syncthing or something similar to copy it to a new phone. If you put that /sdcard/Signal folder there before starting Signal for the first time, it'll ask to restore from that backup. WhatsApp has an identical local backup and restore flow (except that it gets the backup key from their servers, instead of requiring you to write it down).

Re: Signal WhatsApp Chats Import

#40

Post by Daniel_sk »

costsNall wrote: post #29
karakanb wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, they literally mean "history". Some conversation with a friend who passed away, chats with an ex-lover, remembering school years, tons of memories. I believe at this point those messages are an important part of my past. In other words, if I had a chance to record, search and navigate through real life conversations, I would have done that too; it is way better to have records than to try to remember things.

As someone who has saved no chat logs, and just deleted pics, letters, and such from a long gone marriage; IMO, they’re not that important. In fact, shedding that memory shed cognitive distraction I did not know I had. If I want to connect to people I do it here and now. Talking to the past in my head is unhealthy.

Same here. Emails are much more important to keep.
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