I was under the impression that Signal could handle SMS and RCS and be a replacement for a phones messaging app. Am I misguided or is Signal more of an WhatsApp alternative that I can only communicate with people already on Signal
The latter is true unfortunately. Because of understandable security reasons they gave up the SMS integration about a year ago since it's unencrypted and not a good fit to the security standards of signal.
Until there is some form of open interconnection between messaging apps there will be no end to WhatsApp.
Don't get me wrong, signal is a great alternative, but it does not achieve more then it's core value of security, and this will never be enough.
Afaik Signal will never interface with platforms such as WhatsApp because it would mean they'd have to lower their security standards.
Wish someone would make a convenience focused secure messenger. I want SMS and RCS and interoperability with everyone, but I also want my conversations that matter to be completely secure.
I don't care if my chat with Grandma is e2e encrypted but I do care that my chat with my wife is, and it fucks me off I have to use so many different apps to speak to different people who will never, ever use Signal.
Exactly.
I used to use Signal as an SMS client because almost nobody I chatted with (and nobody that mattered) used it. My wife and I now use SMS because we can't agree on a separate app, and that sucks because that's the main thing I'd like to be encrypted. My wife wants me on Discord, and I'd like her to go to Matrix, so we settle on SMS.
What I'd really like is to be able to receive SMS messages on my desktop in the same app that I use for secure communication. So if I use Signal as an SMS client on my phone, all of those messages would be sent to my other clients encrypted, and all responses would go through my phone. I think that would add a ton of value and basically get you to an iMessage-like experience. I was hoping Matrix would do something similar, but it seems that's not the case (maybe I'll try building it, idk).
Thanks for taking the time to educate me! It’s appreciated
I was under the impression that Signal could handle SMS and RCS and be a replacement for a phones messaging app. Am I misguided or is Signal more of an WhatsApp alternative that I can only communicate with people already on Signal
The latter is true unfortunately. Because of understandable security reasons they gave up the SMS integration about a year ago since it's unencrypted and not a good fit to the security standards of signal.
Until there is some form of open interconnection between messaging apps there will be no end to WhatsApp.
Don't get me wrong, signal is a great alternative, but it does not achieve more then it's core value of security, and this will never be enough.
Afaik Signal will never interface with platforms such as WhatsApp because it would mean they'd have to lower their security standards.
Wish someone would make a convenience focused secure messenger. I want SMS and RCS and interoperability with everyone, but I also want my conversations that matter to be completely secure.
I don't care if my chat with Grandma is e2e encrypted but I do care that my chat with my wife is, and it fucks me off I have to use so many different apps to speak to different people who will never, ever use Signal.
Exactly.
I used to use Signal as an SMS client because almost nobody I chatted with (and nobody that mattered) used it. My wife and I now use SMS because we can't agree on a separate app, and that sucks because that's the main thing I'd like to be encrypted. My wife wants me on Discord, and I'd like her to go to Matrix, so we settle on SMS.
What I'd really like is to be able to receive SMS messages on my desktop in the same app that I use for secure communication. So if I use Signal as an SMS client on my phone, all of those messages would be sent to my other clients encrypted, and all responses would go through my phone. I think that would add a ton of value and basically get you to an iMessage-like experience. I was hoping Matrix would do something similar, but it seems that's not the case (maybe I'll try building it, idk).
Thanks for taking the time to educate me! It’s appreciated