Google Messages just flicked the switch on end-to-end encryption for all RCS and group chats
chromeunboxed.com
cross-posted from: https://kbin.projectsegfau.lt/m/tech@kbin.social/t/26889
Google just announced that all RCS conversations in Messages are now fully end-to-end encrypted, even in group chats. RCS stands for Rich Communication Services and is replacing traditional text and picture messaging, providing you with more dynamic and secure features. With RCS enabled, you can share high-res photos and videos, see typing indicators for your...
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Using Signal since a few years. Don’t know anything about security but from a user perspective, I can highly recommend it. Takes some time converting your friends but after that it does its thing.
In my experience some friends are unconvertable, and at that point group chats with those friends just end up in the same place as before.
Yeah, that’s entirely possible; I have some friends unwilling to convert (or that I haven’t bothered with). I do however note an increase in use in Sweden, so I’m still hopeful. Best converter would of course be major screw up from WhatsApp etc. which may or may not happen, but then I’ll be ready to bang the drums again :)
I have some friends like that, but am currently in the process of making the switch over to signal from Snapchat. The key is once you have a critical mass of people in the group they switch over lmao
Also whenever you make a new gc, for example to plan something, you make it in signal and send them the invite link lol
But that doesn't help with sms or rcs. I wish there was an rcs client that was not made by Google
As far as I know Google doesn't allow third party apps to plug into RCS.
This is why them bashing Apple for this particular issue always seemed hypocritical to me, they want this to be their own closed ecosystem, with Apple being the exception because they have enough clout to actually go it alone or even take users away from Android.
Ideally you'd have apps like Signal plugging into the same end-to-end encryption for interoperability, but Google won't allow that because they just want people to use Google Messages for RCS, and nothing else.
Ah okay. Tbh I don’t know much about the subject …
To my knowledge, Signal is the only verifiably secure encrypted messaging app that's market ready. Signal is fully open source, including its encryption algorithm which has been tested numerous times and even gotten government agencies like the FBI all butthurt that can't break it or get a backdoor from the devs. I have a friend whose cryptography professor contributed to the project.
It was only in recent years that Signal upped their game enough with the user experience for me to start recommending it to friends and family. In 2013, when I first recall trying it out, Signal was more clunky and always wanted to be your default SMS app. I didn't like that, because at the time they didn't have a client to send messages from your computer.
Nowadays they have an desktop app that syncs with your phone, video calling, and even stories – which some people find weird but I'm all for non-Zuccubus owned private and secure alternatives to social media. I'm pretty sure anyone on Lemmy would love to pull more power away from these surveillance based ad companies and stop being data cows.
Tl;dr: Fuck the Zuck, keep promoting Signal, democratize the internet
What's wrong with Matrix? I use both, just wondering
The way I see it is, we don't always want anonymity. Sometimes privacy is enough and this is where Signal shine.
It tends to leak a lot of metadata unlike signal which keeps it to a minimum
Late reply, but my main sticking point with Matrix is that it isn't just an app you can tell your non-tech savvy friends to download. I like the decentralization, but most people don't care and want something easy to understand and use
You don't need to download it, there's a web version.
Why not Wire?
Best thing about RCS is when random strangers text me, or friends friends, our conversations are E2EE because RCS isn't something you need to download.
I'll be honest, the UX/UI is kinda my one big gripe with it. It feels so amateurish. More so because the desktop app is very clearly just a website that requires me to run a Chromium to display it, which makes it look pretty bad, more so side-by-side with Unigram, a pretty damn impressive Telegram app.
But even the Android app barely checks the bare-minimum. Yeah it's a messenger. Feels kinda laggy compared to Telegram and Messages, lacks any cool animations of neat UI design, lacks cool themes, nothing really. Now of course messengers don't need any of that, but it just shows to highlight that it isn't exactly a stellar product except in its austerity, and if it were about that I'd expect it to run significantly better and with less resource hunger than it does on either mobile or desktop.
Of course, it's still a really good app, just the UX/UI is exactly the one thing I wouldn't recommend it for. 😅
I see your point. I like that the UI is quite simple, reminds me of the UI in iMessage. I was choosing between telegram and signal but mostly went with signal due to positive things I read online, in addition to being recommended on Privacytools.io which felt good.
Privacytools.io
Do NOT use PrivacyTools. This site was good resource before 2020 but then main developer disappeared for some time and returned with site which sells recommendations on products for money. Weird recommendations popped out. Just use Privacy Guides. Basically all biggest contributors moved on there. You can read more about this story in their FAQ 🙂
Yeah nowadays I only have two people left on Telegram, too. I wish Signal had Telegram's UI design in most ways but eh.
I always have issues with people not receiving messages on it 😭
I have one friend who does not receive messages when he’s at his work Wi-Fi. My guess is that it’s some firewall protection or something.
That could be battery optimisation of the recipients phone.
nope, we tried everything and she rarely received messages on time, even when she was on her phone and I send something she wouldnt get a notification till much later and I think even opening the app didnt show it