Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store • Hacker News Board

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#391

Post by 4f8fje9frn » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 9:16 AM UTC

calabin wrote: post #264

ArcVRArthur wrote: post #106

This is very disruptive to me. Our business chose to use Element because of the privacy and interoperability functions it afforded us through end-to-end encryption and the bridges feature (matrix.org/bridges).

We're in the same boat - fortunately we're a small company so it's not going to be brutal to switch if we have to, but we're huge fans of the privacy and encryption features and it would be a disappointment to have to go back to the old standards of Slack or Teams.

It's surprising to me you'd switch to a new platform because of this when it still works on the desktop. You could install it via F-droid or an APK, use alternative frontend app or you could even just use the web interface.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#392

Post by brettwilcox » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 9:16 AM UTC

yorwba wrote: post #380

brettwilcox wrote: post #374

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm testing Element and Matrix at American Airlines. There are big players with clout that take issue to instability such as this. How can I rely on my company using Element when it gets pulled? Not cool Google... To the element team, reach out to me if you can't get the support you are looking for.

Reach out how? You have no public contact information in your HN profile.

We've already had conversations and I reached out personally.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#393

Post by est31 » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 9:17 AM UTC

Erlich_Bachman wrote: post #357

okso wrote: post #339

Doing this just a week before FOSDEM [1], a very large conference that will run online using Matrix, is scandalous. https://fosdem.org/2021/

This is far from ideal, but someone attending FOSDEM is surely able to download an .apk from official site of Element and install it?

Or from F-Droid: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/im.vector.app/

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#394

Post by rangoon626 » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 9:17 AM UTC

Saris wrote: post #25

rangoon626 wrote: post #14

Bookmarking this one for when my friends chide me for “still” using iOS.

The difference is, good luck getting Element installed on iOS if Apple removes it from the app store. On Android you just grab an APK or use F-Droid and it's a couple taps.

Lots of google fans on this website.

Like legit it’s like the inverse of wading through the comments section on macrumors.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#395

Post by Shared404 » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 9:17 AM UTC

Thorentis wrote: post #317

This is basically the last straw for me. The past week has made it perfectly clear that Big Tech will close the circle and protect their own. Anything that appears to be censorship resistant, that allows the little guy to get ahead and compete, or that allows individuals to have greater levels of privacy and freedom, will be shut down and de-platformed. As was predicted in 1948, "hate speech" has just become a smoke…

> I had a lot of faith in.

I wouldn't give up faith in Matrix yet. Remember, there are other clients, and there is always the Element web client.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#396

Post by rangoon626 » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 9:18 AM UTC

crumbshot wrote: post #61

rootusrootus wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a practical matter, though, only a very small number of people will ever do that. Being kicked out of the play store is almost always going to be a death sentence for the app. Apple has earned plenty of criticism themselves, but I do appreciate that they curate the app store with humans.

But if both Apple and Google remove your app from their stores, at least Android has a fairly straightforward method for your users to install it straight from your website. For iOS your users will have to sign it themselves (but still via Apple, who could block that too) with their own developer account, just to get a time-limited install. Or, even worse, use a jailbroken device to work around all this.

Maybe we should be jailbreaking again

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#397

Post by ttt0 » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 9:20 AM UTC

paulcarroty wrote: post #243

Arathorn wrote: post #3

So we got notified by the developer console at 21:45 UTC that the app had been suspended, but still haven’t had an email to explain why - it’s 02:24 now. Our assumption that this is due to someone reporting abusive content in Matrix to Google, and Element catching the blame — although this is currently speculation. To be clear: Element is a Matrix client just as Chrome is a Web browser, and just as it’s possible to v…

> Google will explain what’s going on shortly It's definitely not Google style. But I hope Matrix will get more promotion in result.

I on the other hand hope that they won't just say "oops, our bad!", reinstate it and sweep the entire thing under the rug like nothing happened, without explaining anything.

There are people here who work on mobile applications. If they depend on Google and Apple delivering their app to their clients, it's still unacceptable that they can potentially put you out of business, just like that. I already saw a couple of people here that claimed it happened to them too. Without any reason, without the ability to appeal, nothing.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#398

Post by vbezhenar » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 9:21 AM UTC

LockAndLol wrote: post #270

young_unixer wrote: post #160

I hope more apps start allowing to directly download an .apk file from their website. I don't have Google Play Services or the Play store installed on my phone nor do I want to install them. Yes, it's my responsibility to update the app, whatever, just give me the file.

Or they make F-Droid more known. Publishing apks yourself means you have to implement an update feature. F-Droid takes care of that

How is F-Droid conceptually different from PlayStore? They can ban anything just as well.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#399

Post by unethical_ban » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 9:22 AM UTC

Don't forget that F-Droid is a thing, and Android still has at least that much freedom - to install your own software.

Who would have thought 30 years ago someone would be saying "People can run any code they want on their computer" as a shocking thing.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#400

Post by erik_kemp » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 9:23 AM UTC

Sigh. These kind of things, as well as the Signal outage, are not helping efforts to help people switch to better messaging alternatives. It nicely illustrates the centralisation of power though.