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Signal Introduces Stories

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Re: Signal Introduces Stories

#431

Post by izacus »

TimTheTinker wrote: post #300
codethief wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I don't understand here (though admittedly I haven't been following the iOS discussions closely) is why backups are possible on Android but not on iOS?

As I understand it, iOS backups normally go to iCloud -- where they're stored encrypted but the keys are held by Apple (i.e. not end-to-end encrypted, and not a zero-knowledge system by any stretch). This makes iCloud-stored iOS backups susceptible to subpoena, malicious employees, and/or good-enough hackers.

Nothing stops Signal from E2E encrypting backups on their side.

Re: Signal Introduces Stories

#432

Post by palata »

user764743 wrote: post #357
MonkeyMalarky wrote: post #33

That's cool but everyone in my family that I convinced to use Signal just stopped using it because it was their default SMS app. Now it's not.

Other than the privacy features, that was my #1 selling point when trying to convince someone to install Signal - that you won't need two apps for your SMS since it will become your default app and the UI is better anyway. Will be a lot harder to tell people to switch now.

I can accept that it is a real argument, since so many people mention it. But I just don't get it.

People have multiple apps for their social networks, and are completely fine with them. Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp, Telegram. At the end of the day, I think it's just an excuse. They don't want to install Signal because they follow what others do, and it seems like others are not on Signal.

Instead of saying: "Install Signal, it will be your new SMS app", if you said "What? You don't have Signal? That's the new thing man", I'm sure they would try it. Then realize that they don't have contacts there, and uninstall it (because they reaaaaaallly need to save those 6MB badly on their phone, for some reason).

People don't use what's best, people use what other people use. They don't want to think.

Re: Signal Introduces Stories

#433

Post by Accacin »

I'm happy to see this! I've always liked the idea of them but refuse to use any social media app that implemented them previously.

I know some people are not going to like it, but let's face it, this is a feature people use and now it'll be easier for friends and family to continue using Signal.

Re: Signal Introduces Stories

#434

Post by palata »

yamtaddle wrote: post #161
Daniel_sk wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, but why do you need Signal to handle those messages?

Lots of people like having just one messaging app, for messaging that's basically SMS-like. Apple and Google have both chased that dream for their SMS apps, for a good reason (Apple with more success than Google—does Google still have another messaging service attached to their SMS app, or did they give up on that when the first attempt was a disaster about a decade ago?)

Still they have many. Really how many people exclusively use SMS on their phone?

Re: Signal Introduces Stories

#435

Post by willsmith72 »

nunobrito wrote: post #422
willsmith72 wrote: post #404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You think the alternative messaging apps are any better?

Well.. Signal was literally sponsored by the CIA from the beginning. OTF gave Signal 3 million USD: https://www.opentech.fund/results/supported-projects/open-wh... The OTF was created in 2012 as a pilot program of Radio Free Asia (RFA), an asset of US Agency for Global Media (USAGM)/CIA, which is in turn funded by US Congress. The algorithm for signal/whisper was developed next door to the NSA headquarters in Hawaii.…

What are your alternatives? The signal protocol is basically the gold-standard. If the NSA has a backdoor (and yes, they might), I don't know of any other protocols that wouldn't.

Re: Signal Introduces Stories

#436

Post by dont__panic »

joecool1029 wrote: post #353
dont__panic wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am using an absolutely ancient phone (2016 iphone SE) that's perpetually in low power mode, so it's possible that this isn't a big problem for other iOS users. It's also rather slow on my mac, but I have noticed that my partner's 4a runs it smoothly.

It blows my mind that people don't just buy new batteries for these. They are CHEAP, under $10 to DIY replace and not very difficult. If you don't feel comfortable following ifixit guide, then any chain shop shouldn't charge more than $50 for the job, it's 15 minutes or less for someone used to doing it.

I have replaced my SE's battery three times, and the screen/front sensors once. The battery is at 100% health as of my latest replacement a couple of weeks ago.

Signal is still my slowest messaging app. It's not some subjective complaint about jank: compared to Telegram and Messages, Signal is much slower to load and share.

Re: Signal Introduces Stories

#437

Post by tremon »

corytheboyd wrote: post #267

Of course my first reaction was "I hate this" but then I thought about it and whatever I don't care at all. I downloaded the update and it's a new tab. They don't force it on you at all. They very very clearly state that you can opt-out and how to do it. This was tastefully done, which is fresh air in the world of social media crapware.

On my phone, that new tab necessitates a tab bar that takes up more than 10% of the screen estate. I immediately disabled stories for that reason alone.

Re: Signal Introduces Stories

#438

Post by m000 »

worez wrote: post #228
bkus wrote: post #226

Please bring back SMS support. It's hard enough to convince people to use Signal in the first place. Nobody is going to juggle multiple apps, they'll just go back to SMS default app.

so many people I've gotten to switch to signal have asked me about them discontinuing SMS support. my family members aren't going to keep using signal just to message a few others, when the majority still use text. still unsure how this decision made it through.

The stance of Signal is insulting to anyone who lobbied to friends and family for them. In addition to making us look like idiots, when they kill the feature it is very likely that we will be called to the rescue, because the Signal archived SMS messages will dissapear.

As a growing company, I don't know how they expect to get away by alienating their staunch userbase. Even Meta made concessions when Whatsapp userbase revolted against upcoming changes.

In the meantime, Google have revamped their messages app, which of course continues to support SMS.

Re: Signal Introduces Stories

#439

Post by m000 »

dontparticipate wrote: post #301
aeturnum wrote: post #269

I'm still extremely disappointed in Signal's choice to drop SMS support, which feels like a key adoption vector to me. However, I'm glad to see that they're still building privacy-first versions of popular social networking features. This does the double-duty of giving privacy conscious folks access to those features and showing that there's no need to invade users' privacy to offer these things - instead when others…

My family members will basically all stop using Signal now because they didn't want two apps for messaging. This will make all my conversations less private rather than more. It was a really dumb decision. I was able to convince a lot of people to switch because "it's just text and voice messaging except if we both have the app then it's more secure." I will basically be alone in my usage of Signal after the change g…

> My family members will basically all stop using Signal now because they didn't want two apps for messaging.

Schedule time in your calendar for helping family with their "lost" SMS. At least at the moment, Signal seems to keep SMS separately from other apps. Uninstalling Signal will probably make any archived messages dissapear, at least temporarily.

Re: Signal Introduces Stories

#440

Post by topdancing »

josh2600 wrote: post #203
Calvin02 wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think that's accurate. Pretty sure both work the same way regarding metadata. Think about it: if Signal didn't know that A was messaging B, how would they route that message to B's phone? A has to be able to find B's ip address someway. B can't broadcast its ip address to all the Signal users -- that would be a huge security hole. It probably works like this: 1) A sends encrypted message + B's phone number to…

https://signal.org/blog/sealed-sender/ Worth reading.

This is just a marketing gimmick, it's been broken as a technology since its inception: https://www.ndss-symposium.org/ndss-paper/improving-signals-...
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