Is there any actual easy to use foss chat app my friends and SO could use ? Everyone uses fb messenger because its so easy. I cant find anything easy enough to make people switch to, that won’t have issues and send them running back to zucc
Signal is easy and straightforward to use
I have a self hosted nextcloud that has a web chat feature (Nextcloud Talk). It is pretty easy to use, though it is kind of ugly and slow. I’d prefer to send people to GNU Jami but I’ve had kind of poor luck with that.
I would reccomend XMPP(with OMEMO), for android I reccomend the conversations client, but there are a lot of clients: https://xmpp.org/software/?platform=all-platforms I suggest you choose a client that fully supports OMEMO encryption.
You’re asking for a literal unicorn. I haven’t found one after years of searching.
What’s hard about signal? It’s easy to use, my friends and family aren’t tech savvy and they were using it in minutes and it has stuck ever since.
I don’t consider it a “chat app” since it requires your phone number as an identifier. It has always been the equivalent of a texting app.
I don’t consider anything that’s phone-first as a chat app. A chat app should be platform agnostic/available for all platforms. You can only get a desktop app for Signal by connecting it to your phone app.
A chat app should be platform agnostic/available for all platforms.
That’s simply not what a chat app is. A chat app is simply an app you use to chat with people, as the name suggests.
I can see your point. It is so ingrained in me to use a phone I forget that we didnt always do it that way. I shouldnt make the assumption everyone has a phone.
Element is just one of many clients I find fluffy chat much more user friendly
by “FOSS” you mean compatible with the core values of free/libre software?
This rules out Signal because: 1/ some of its server software is proprietary 2/ they dont allow you to communicate with “their” users if you want to run the server software yourself 3/ the prevented authors of free/libre software in the past to distribute their software (find a fdroid/signal thread) 4/ in practice they channel their users through their centralized servers hosted on AWS
(and that’s without evoking their questionable funding, and long lasting commitment to make all their users identifiable through phone number, 10+y after US generals declared “we kill people based on metadata”…)
Simplex seems to me like the one really ticking all the boxes.
and long lasting commitment to make all their users identifiable through phone number
They’ve had usernames for a good while now…
usernames is just for users. it is just a display thing. Signal still require that you use a phone# to sign up, and that you keep owning and paying for that SIM over the years in order to be able to verify it at random intervals…
despite being a very anti-privacy feature (esp. from a US company, funded initially bu US gov, who still forces its users to have their metadata stored on a US cloud…), it is also very much anti-user as in many cases around me, people who opened Signal accounts with some SIM card some day later traveled abroad, changed life, etc… and one day were asked to verify their account. (this is in some case what prompted their migration towards other communication networks…)
Signal still require that you use a phone# to sign up
Your statement was that phone numbers make users identifiable. If they don’t have my phone number, how can they use it to identify me?
and that you keep owning and paying for that SIM over the years
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but it’s nearly impossible to exist without a SIM these days. You can’t even access your bank account remotely. But I suppose you only have a home phone and don’t have internet access outside of WiFi?
in order to be able to verify it at random intervals…
in many cases around me, people who opened Signal accounts with some SIM card some day later traveled abroad, changed life, etc… and one day were asked to verify their account.
You’re lying. You don’t need to verify it at “random intervals”, you only need it once when you initially sign up. You’re just spreading misinformation at this point.
despite being a very anti-privacy feature
It’s not, but please do elaborate.
funded initially bu US gov
You know what else is funded by the gov? TOR. But I suppose that’s compromised as well? Which also compromises many of the messengers using the TOR network?
I don’t support phone # verification, but they do have valid reasons for it, and it doesn’t compromise the service at all, as you claim, because the only things tied to your phone number is:
- When you first registered
- When you last connected.
Which isn’t really super useful information to the gov. And in order to get that info they have to ALREADY HAVE YOUR #. Which, of course, they do already have everyone’s #. It’s not exactly private information.
You’re lying.
Thanks! :)
But no. Happened to several friends of mine, out of the blue: phone# verification to their signal account. Therefore when accusing people of lying… you are lying! :)
It’s not just about “having your phone number”, it is indeed relating it to the phone numbers of all the people you interact with, and (at least) processing these data in the RAM of amazon servers while promising they do not use or store it. It is strongly identifying “strong selector” metadata that is incompatible with the protection of users’ privacy.
You can call me a lier, but you better check your sources.
it is indeed relating it to the phone numbers of all the people you interact with
Please provide evidence when you make such wild claims.
Evidence is: Signal still requires a phone# that is your unique identifier. Thus when connecting two parties, it is bound to have identifying metadata about them. (and that Signal still operates within AWS cloud, and is bound by US law: FISA, Patriot Act, etc.) How much more than this do you need?
Evidence is: Signal still requires a phone#
This does not even remotely resemble evidence.
Thus when connecting two parties, it is bound to have identifying metadata about them
No it isn’t.
(and that Signal still operates within AWS cloud, and is bound by US law: FISA, Patriot Act, etc.)
There’s no law in existence that requires them to store metadata or hand anything over to the feds. They have been subpoenaed several times and it always comes out the same: the only data they have is what I detailed above. Even if they DO have it (which they don’t) they don’t provide it, which is effectively the same thing.
How much more than this do you need?
Literally anything legitimate.
I’m surprised that no one else has said this one yet: Delta Chat
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“Chat app” like texting/whatsapp?
Or “chat app” like Discord/Slack?
For the former, Signal is going to be the one your friends and family will actually use. For the latter there isn’t anything really approaching the same level yet. Matrix/Element is making a good effort but absolutely not there yet, especially on mobile.
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Yeah I’m using Whatsapp Business for groups I can’t convince to move (it allows me to have an automated message to say I won’t answer on Whatsapp), Signal for people who could move but won’t pay anything and Threema for almost everyone else including my family.
I wish Signal or Threema would allow a selected opt in interoperability with Whatsapp so that I could really ditch it.
I wish Signal or Threema would allow a selected opt in interoperability with Whatsapp so that I could really ditch it.
Could maybe do something with the signal-matrix and whatsapp-matrix bridges? You could probably skip the matrix entirely but may have to implement it yourself
Thanks, I know about it but it’s above my technical level and self hosting means having a computer running 24/7 which I don’t want.
I think Signal they (Signal and Threema) missed an opportunity to gain users by allowing an opt-in compatibility with Whatsapp.
self hosting means having a computer running 24/7 which I don’t want.
For environmental reasons? I bet there are “green” cloud providers out there. Unless you meant having your computer run 24/7, and then no.
Is it Signal and Threema leadership that doesn’t want to implement interoperability with WhatsApp or it’s WhatsApp preventing it? Is there any existing 3rd party app that’s compatible with WhatsApp?
whatsapp is a modified XMPP, itnmight be possible to make an XMPP client that can also use the whatsapp servers.
Most of the options listed are easy to use. The difficult part is getting enough users to adopt the new system initially to motivate the rest to migrate as well.
SimpleX, best anonymity. Not really what u are asking for in terms of use case. It’s a great messenger app, but still needs some refining in their UX. But I still like to mention it. Probably Signal then.
Love it. Very easy to use and looks great, IMO.
Aye but things like same account use isn’t quite there yet.
As in, you can connect your phone to a pc and use it from there. But then u can’t use it on your phone, while connected with another device… if i remember correctly.
At one point I had a group chat with my phone, home desktop, and work laptop. Whereas whatsapp u just connect once and go.
It’s probaly to secure your privacy and technical stuff under the hood…
It’s a great app nonetheless, so I shall always shill it over Signal lol.
Signal is probably your best bet but it’s only mostly open source. Element/Matrix is another good option if open source is your concern.
Element can be a bit unreliable when it comes to matrix features, I recommend cinny instead
how so? Im looking for a matrix client thst has easy onboarding for family & friends with encrypted calls and encrypted messaging by default
Signal
second this. afaik signal is the best option right now for most people and the one i use, and also managed to get some friends, family and even coworkers (which was nice of them, even tho i guess it was easier for them to install signal and center our workplace communication there than to get me to reinstall fucking whatsapp) to switch to, alongside my SO.
Fluffychat (matrix), Deltachat seem really good but good luck getting anyone to change. Let us know if you figure out a way to persuade people they should make any effort or try something new.
