131–140 of 649 posts
One bright side of this is that Android's (Google's) Messages app has been pushing hard on RCS (the intended successor to SMS) and by default now does auto-upgrade to end-to-end encryption with any other messages users. If you're using signal, you don't get that auto-upgrade, so for conversations with anyone using a "default" google phone setup you were actually getting less net security on your comms compared to usi…
Who even use sms these days?
This is an awful decision. I've converted some friends and family to Signal over the past years (it took a while) and it is now their default messaging app on their phones. This is going to confuse them and is going to make it difficult for me to keep convincing them that Signal is the route to use. ("Why do I need 3 apps (Android Messages, Signal, Whatsapp) to talk to people?")
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These protocols are insecure, not private, and fundamentally incompatible with Signal's mission. Supporting them at all, while highly convenient, is a queer oxymoron for an app like Signal. We have to rip the bandaid off eventually.
I support this decision, I don't use SMS and I'm in support of everything that kills SMS. Next step: Please stop using phone numbers as a user ID. I have lots of throwaway phone numbers, but many people don't want to leak their phone number to every single person they want to have an encrypted conversation with.
I think this will only affect US users, because nobody uses SMS outside the US. And switching between apps is the expected thing to do when trying to push people to another platform, I have telegram, signal, whatsapp and Element on my phone, this is why the new digital markets act is going to be revolutionary, especially with bridge friendly platforms like matrix.org.
For one, commercial services will go through SMS to contact you. Delivery people asking if my mailbox can fit parcels won’t be through Whatsapp or Messenger.
Then you’ll also want to compartmentalize and limit how some people can reach you. That means if you’re already giving them your phone number, you don’t want them on the other messaging services as well.
Life is complicated, and there will be endless use cases for the baseline, default messaging platform.
With the SMS integration it was pretty easy because it would just switch over if the other person had Signal or if/when they signed up in the future.
What's the workflow now? Manually ask them on SMS if they use Signal? Just try it and see if it works?
This sounds like one of those "Don't Worry! Rejoice! We're breaking your things!" announcements that hasn't even thought about how people use Signal IRL.
I'm going to stop my monthly subscription to Signal Foundation.
I for one welcome the change, because my phone does not have an SMS plan (data only) and the "send by SMS" is a bit confusing. A messaging app should have one clear behavior per interface. This was "maybe secure, maybe not". I have an SMS app for that (well, VoIP-sms, because I'm weird).
This is terrible. Most of my social network is not yet on Signal, but using a single app for all my communication makes my life so much easier. Signal was always promised as the one-app that everyone could use even if their network was not using Signal. Is anyone NOT inside Signal happy about this decision? Please comment if so, and why.