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GrapheneOS is building its own RCS support to cut Google Messages out of the picture (www.androidauthority.com)
submitted 4 weeks ago by to c/android@lemdro.id
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[โ€“] 61 points 4 weeks ago (23 children)

Literally everyone should just use Signal. I really don't understand why we all don't.

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  • [โ€“] 36 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (5 children)

    Because Signal 1) doesn't ship as default, and 2) requires a login process.

    You've already lost the majority of the general public with the former. On top of that, the Venn diagram of "people who go through with logging in" and "people who already know about Signal" has significant overlap.

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  • [โ€“] 30 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

    But the same is true for WhatsAppโ€ฆ

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  • [โ€“] 13 points 4 weeks ago

    You see, the problem is that whatsapp came very early, when it released it wasn't shit and it provided free messages which in many european countries wasn't a thing yet, everyone hopped on it and used it as main communication platform, this created a big ass network effect that is nearly unescapeable, even today i can't escape from it because i am the only idiot who uses Signal and Matrix and no one wants to leave whatsapp because they already have an account and all their contacts

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  • [โ€“] 10 points 4 weeks ago*

    Used to shill XMPP but everyone should use Tox at this point ngl.

    • No registration
    • No phone number
    • It's impossible to send anything unencrypted

    downside: Sharing IDs is annoying (QR code if you are on mobile? idk haven't tried)

    updownsides:

    • It does not concern itself with backlog storage (unsent messages sit until at least one device of both parties are online)
    • It does not concern itself with file storage (sent - poof, gone)
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  • [โ€“] 19 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)
    • Dropping SMS support made sense from a security standpoint but slaughtered adoption
    • When the central server eshittifies, we'll all have to switch again.
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  • [โ€“] 1 point 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    I don't even understand how dropping sms support improved security, was it the code required for making it work (I know sms is fairly little on android and remember mms is a pain in the ass) or just because "confusion" about having insecure and secure communications right next to each other?

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  • [โ€“] 9 points 4 weeks ago

    Signal is pretty great and I use it at least a little myself, but it's not necessarily perfect. The big elephant that's always been in the room is its dependence on one backend and the fact they're based in the US.

    Different threat models call for different approaches, and every option has tradeoffs.

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  • [โ€“] [S] -3 points 4 weeks ago (7 children)

    I use Signal via Molly and as @lka1988@sh.itjust.works points out, there's friction in getting users to on to it. But also the UX isn't even as good as WhatsApp let alone Telegram.

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  • [โ€“] 16 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

    what ui? there is a namelist, a call icon, a message icon. what in the hell do you need?

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  • [โ€“] 3 points 4 weeks ago (1 child)

    one thing missing is support for Android Tablets, its pissing my GF off on her Samsung Tablet and yet it works for my mother on her ipad ffs

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 3 weeks ago

    That's a legitimate concern. However, the Android tablet market is a fraction of a slice of the pie. Meanwhile, iPads are the defacto "standard tablet". Even my little kids just call their Kindles "iPads". I don't even bother correcting them, because honestly who fucking cares? At this point, "iPad" just means "tablet".

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 3 weeks ago* (2 children)

    Telegram's UI fucking blows. I use Telegram on occasion, but only to follow a handful of software projects that inexplicably only distribute release notes via Telegram ๐Ÿซฅ

    Signal's UI is exactly as one would expect. Open it and you have a list of chats. Tap a chat and it opens. Done.

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  • [โ€“] [S] 1 point 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    Telegram has been winning awards for their UI since inception. WhatsApp has basically mimicked it. Signal has gone in its own direction which suits 40 year old geeks who use Lemmy, but the actual massesโ€ฆ

    Come on, can we at least pretend to have the self-awareness to know what we like isn't conducive to how the masses use these apps.

    It's like how people on Reddit use to try and say that front facing cameras were useless and so they want small phones without them. ๐Ÿ˜ฎโ€๐Ÿ’จ

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 3 weeks ago

    I'm honestly confused as to what UI differences people care about between Signal, Telegram, and Whatsapp. All three have a list of chats as the main view, with a search field or button, and a chat screen with prior messages on top and an input field at the bottom.

    I do not pretend to be a UX designer and would appreciate an explanation.

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