Using Signal on PinePhone in mid-2023?

[zetabeta]

Hello community,

since I realized yesterday that adding new contacts or create/join groups doesn't work anymore in Axolotl (development is dead for months now, so it's good that at least sending/recieving messages in existing conversations STILL works for me... at least for the moment... ):

How does the community use Signal today (if you use it) on your PinePhone?

- Still using the not further developed Axolotl like me?
- Using Signal-"Desktop" for Linux (self-compiled or pre-compiled like here)?
- Using Flare?
- Using something different?

Every Linux compatible Signal client (also Flare) I'm aware of NEEDS a Android/iOS device (which I don't have) with official Signal client for linking... except Axolotl... which was awesome but doesn't work completely anymore (and without developement it will becoming worse and worse for sure).

How do you use Signal (if you use it)?
Are there any alternative Signal clients I'm not aware of?
(Please don't mention stuff like Telegram, I'm the reason a few of my friends use Signal now, I can't come up with something different again now... )

Best Regards & thanks for any suggestions,
dante404

i start to think signal may not be good enough for serious use, however, arguments are little weird. signal's privacy and security is good enough for medium security, and is good enough for friends and relatives. definitely better than whatsapp. i don't recommend signal for high security purposes though.

in my view signal tries to be whatsapp alternative too much. it relies on android and ios platforms. that also includes google play services, although signal wihtout dependecy on google play services is possible here https://signal.org/android/apk/ . basically, installing signal on other platforms than android or ios is painfully difficult.

i start to think that platform-independent solutions are way to go. maybe https://matrix.org/ . matrix has some catches, like encryption may not be activated.

I don't have a Pinephone, but I've already worked out how I would do it if I did:
Use Signal Desktop.
Get a burner phone that will work with the sim card normally used in the Pinephone.
Register once with the burner phone.

I'm in the same boat with Signal.  I still use it because I convinced everyone else to use it.  But it really stinks that they made it so it doesn't do SMS anymore.

you probably mean bugs in axolotl, axolotl has registration issues.

Thanks for your replies!

i use signal-desktop
on manjaro phosh  and mobian phosh

...but how did you activate it/get it running? Also with Signal for Android on another phone, like KC9UDX suggests?

signal has signal-desktop and signal-app. signal-app is a primary app and required. signal-desktop can be linked to signal-app.

putting shortly, signal-app requires ios or android. waydroid can run signal-app, also in x86-64 machines like laptop. but waydroid does not have camera support, and linking requires camera support.

short: signal is designed too much for normie android and ios phones!