Comment on Samsung joins Google in RCS shaming Apple

cheese_greater@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

• owatnext@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  I am beyond bummed that Signal abandoned SMS support. It worked, it isn’t a constantly evolving standard. Just leave it alone, Signal!!

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  • dm_me_your_feet@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    I used it too. I miss it, but i get why they removed it: it just kinda breaks the Signal user experience and trust model. This app lives and dies by the users trust their conversations will be private. By having an option to message someone in a completely unencrypted, easy to intercept mode like SMS it risks this trust for little gain (some power users like us liked it). By removing it, the app concentrates on what is expected from it and removes a big possibility for user error while fleshing out its marketing image even more. It makes perfect sense but its a tad annoying.

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    • i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Unfortunately, in doing so, Signal became Yet Another Messaging App. It really damaged their value proposition in my eyes.

      If I need a separate app for SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, Signal, etc, it just becomes a chore to find enough friends willing to move to it exclusively.

      The IM ecosystem really needs to be harmonized on the user end. I remember Trillian was this great app back in the day that brokered all your MSM, Google Chat, etc IM accounts into a single app that let you just focus on messaging people and not worrying about what platform was being used. We badly need this again.

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      • dm_me_your_feet@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        Matrix can kinda emulate this kind of “all messages in one app” experience with bridges but you introduce a single server who decrypts all your end to end encryption so you pretty much have to self host. Also the bridges arent perfect so your msgs will sometimes look weird or not support some features.

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      • Zak@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        A shared frontend would be a little more convenient, but is having multiple apps that big a deal? I think I have eight right now.

        Android’s default Contacts app has buttons for each option a given contact has so there’s not even much cognitive load to pick the app you need if you start from there.

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    • owatnext@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      I understand what you’re saying, but I feel it was pretty transparent the way they handled SMS vs. Signal Messages. I suppose it’s a bit like the D.W. meme, though.

      D.W. from the kid’s show Arthur looking at a sign on a door reading “SMS messages are unencrypted”, and responding "this sign won’t stop me because I can’t read!

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    • whofearsthenight@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Yeah, I don’t follow the details on this much and my first thought was “Signal had SMS support? WTF?”

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    • TheFrirish@jlai.lu ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      I understand that they wanted stay true their philosophy but that decision is the reason we will never see Signal be relevant ever again. I hope they do a U turn

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  • ysjet@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    You’ll notice Signal backtracked on supporting SMS as soon as they got an ex-Googler as their new leadership.

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  • netchami@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    No one should be using SMS in 2023, and I’m really sorry for you Americans who are still using this ancient garbage technology.

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  • Zak@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    I always thought having SMS support in Signal created a significant risk of confusion about what kind of message the user was sending. Of course sophisticated users always knew the difference, but it’s for software that emphasizes security it’s better not to have to say “it’s secure unless…”.

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    • jcs@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      It’s a valid point that it could potentially create some confusion when a user assumes that everything in Signal is secure. Unencrypted SMS threads could contain an open padlock icon and even an ominous red window border, but someone inevitably will not understand the difference.

      However, my frustration has been how both convenience and security is reduced by removing SMS from Signal.

      Many people will continue to use SMS for a variety of reasons, necessitating the use of an additional app. So now we have people continuing to communicate over this insecure protocol, but with the additional target vector of potential vulnerabilities in the supplemental app.

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  • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    it isn’t a constantly evolving standard

    lol you can say that again

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• smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Signal protocol is mainly an encryption protocol, not messaging.

  Even if Apple adopt it, you won’t be able to talk with Apple users from Signal.

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