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Removing SMS support from Signal Android (soon)

signal.org

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Re: Removing SMS support from Signal Android (soon)

#601

Post by wink »

daedalus_j wrote: post #149

I've been using Signal for a long time. I have repeatedly been unable to convince iOS users to use Signal because "I don't want another app". Android users have been much more willing to give it a shot. As an android user myself, I much prefer having SMS built in because I use the search feature often to look back through all my SMS/Signal chats. I also regularly forward an SMS message to a Signal user, or vice versa…

I honestly don't remember when I sent or received the last SMS that was not the telco's "Welcome to $country, the rates are ...". I.e. I don't have a strong opinion on this, I simply do not use SMS.

Re: Removing SMS support from Signal Android (soon)

#602

Post by rjzzleep »

smeej wrote: post #529
caf wrote: post #490

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they have to use 2 apps, they'll just end up communicating with me in the clear using their "default SMS" app on their phone. That's what this is going to result it...a reduction in overall message security due to people defaulting to what's easier...which is to _not_ have to remember which app to use for which "send a message" purpose. Fuck. Exactly right. In fact, I will be doing this too. Right now, I use Signa…

I've run into a related problem: I have (iOS-using) friends I have convinced to register their numbers with Signal...but they never check Signal. They do check SMS. This actually drove me away from using Signal for SMS on Android, because I couldn't send those friends SMS messages through Signal. They could only go out as Signal messages, and my friends never checked them. Fortunately, I only have a handful of friend…

On my wifes phone she didn't receive notifications for signal because the OS she had would suspend signal when it was inactive. So I had to manually change its battery saving settings.

Re: Removing SMS support from Signal Android (soon)

#603

Post by rjzzleep »

caf wrote: post #557
Fatnino wrote: post #540

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope you're not too invested in Google making a chat thing work long term. There's an overwhelming mountain of evidence that says that ends poorly.

Becoming too invested in any instant messaging thing is a recipe for disappointment and woe. As far as instant messaging services are concerned, I have let go my earthly tether; entered the void; empty and become wind.

You say that but then Line, WhatsApp and WeChat have been hugely successful depending on which part of the world you're in.

Re: Removing SMS support from Signal Android (soon)

#604

Post by rjzzleep »

adfm wrote: post #260
Waterluvian wrote: post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's another reason for iOS users to avoid Signal: It eats up Gigabytes of storage space, refuses to ever clear it, and the devs are rather resistant to accepting that it's even a problem at all: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-iOS/issues/4916

Since there’s no server storing media, consider saving the stuff you want and dumping all the old photos and video you don’t. It’s a more secure communication tool, not an archive.

Telegram has huge amounts of video and audio data but they allow you to easily select and remove the cache for certain chats or sections of chats. It's a UX decision that Signal could "easily" copy.

Re: Removing SMS support from Signal Android (soon)

#606

Post by tcfhgj »

zaik wrote: post #479
jacooper wrote: post #470

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correct. But in the case of matrix you can host them in your home if you want, or maybe on your phone(they are still checking if this is possible or not)

Maybe I am capable to do so (although I already host an XMPP server, so Matrix is rather redudant) but expecting everyone to self-host is obviously not realistic. Currently Matrix is operating in a way that larger instances aggregate private messages from bridges in plain text. Those messages would have stayed encrypted and secure if people didn't use Matrix.

> Currently Matrix is operating in a way that larger instances aggregate private messages from bridges in plain text.

That's not true in general. For most if not all messengers (at least encrypted ones), there is the option to use Bridge-to-End encryption on the Matrix side, which doesn't give the homeserver any possibility to inspect messages let alone aggregate them.

Re: Removing SMS support from Signal Android (soon)

#607

Post by zaik »

tcfhgj wrote: post #606
zaik wrote: post #479

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe I am capable to do so (although I already host an XMPP server, so Matrix is rather redudant) but expecting everyone to self-host is obviously not realistic. Currently Matrix is operating in a way that larger instances aggregate private messages from bridges in plain text. Those messages would have stayed encrypted and secure if people didn't use Matrix.

> Currently Matrix is operating in a way that larger instances aggregate private messages from bridges in plain text. That's not true in general. For most if not all messengers (at least encrypted ones), there is the option to use Bridge-to-End encryption on the Matrix side, which doesn't give the homeserver any possibility to inspect messages let alone aggregate them.

If I understand correctly, the Matrix encryption and message format is not compatible to other protocols so all messages must be decrypted and converted on the homeserver which runs the bridge.

Re: Removing SMS support from Signal Android (soon)

#608

Post by jacooper »

zaik wrote: post #607
tcfhgj wrote: post #606

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Currently Matrix is operating in a way that larger instances aggregate private messages from bridges in plain text. That's not true in general. For most if not all messengers (at least encrypted ones), there is the option to use Bridge-to-End encryption on the Matrix side, which doesn't give the homeserver any possibility to inspect messages let alone aggregate them.

If I understand correctly, the Matrix encryption and message format is not compatible to other protocols so all messages must be decrypted and converted on the homeserver which runs the bridge.

The bridge and the home server are separate things.

So if you run the home server somewhere untrusted, but the bridge in your home with E2EE enabled, the decryption AFAIK happens in the bridge, and the home server doesn't see anything.

Re: Removing SMS support from Signal Android (soon)

#609

Post by b_mc2 »

This seems opposite to what their new president said last month:

"From the beginning, the team behind Signal put people and their needs at the core of their commitments. They understood that iron-clad security is fairly pointless if people can’t use, access, or feel comfortable with it. In other words, if my friends won’t use a messaging app, it doesn’t work as a messaging app. It works as a thought experiment, at best. Understanding this, Signal’s developers and designers created an app that honors people’s needs and expectations, while maintaining strict privacy promises."[1]

I'll echo the other comments here talking about network effects, onboarding friction, and social capital wasted convincing friends/family.

[1] https://signal.org/blog/announcing-signal-president/

Re: Removing SMS support from Signal Android (soon)

#610

Post by fluidcruft »

caf wrote: post #552
fluidcruft wrote: post #373

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh. I've never used contacts that way. I suppose it could work but that's a new extra step. My Contacts list is gigantic and full of bullshit I don't care about because it's sync'd from work and flooded with people I don't know. Usually I just find the conversation from the chronological list (which is more of how I remember things). Maybe there's some way to sort contacts by recent use? It just seems like that's le…

Usually I just find the conversation from the chronological list... Bingo.

Theoretically couldn't an Android app be built using notification access to track notification history and coalate messaging notifications (combining notifications from all/selected/configured) messaging apps? That sort of a "messaging hub" could be even better, frankly.
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