Using Signal on PinePhone in mid-2023?

[zetabeta]

I share your criticisms regarding Signal. Unfortunately I still "need" Signal to stay in contact with relatives and friends.

I use Signal-Desktop from here. When I first installed it on my PP I used my old Android phone to link Signal on the PP.

But since I don't use Android anymore I'm now using the signal-cli to link Signal-Desktop on my computer and PPP (see Installation, Usage - Register a number, Linking other devices - Add another device).

good, signal-cli works. seems little combersome, but at least i can run on many platforms. it seem that running subcommand "receive" is required before adding other clients. or some other subcommand. it is important to note that signal-cli can function as a primary client and linked client.

@zetabeta  I actually know nothing about axolotl.  A few months ago, Signal Foundation made the decision to stop letting the android app act as an SMS/MMS client.  Prior to this, I used signal for all messages, no matter the recipient.  Their reasoning for this boggles my mind.

signal cannot send ordinary sms/mms and i approve this decision. sms and mms can't be secured any easy way. so if signal can send ordinary sms messages, then it might bring false sense of security and privacy. (reminder, signal is good for medium security or privacy).

however, activation sms is a different thing. axolotl bugs are related to activation.

Axolotl is actually still developed, see the commits under https://github.com/nanu-c/axolotl/pull/985. But it will take a while for the port to different backend and frontend libraries to be complete. (Looks to me like basically a complete rewrite, since both the backend and the frontend are being switched to different technologies.)

As far as I can tell, the issues with the current/old Axolotl are not actually due to Axolotl itself, but to Electron. Chromium still does not properly support text input under Wayland, and Electron still carries no downstream fix for that issue either. So Electron is just not usable at all under Plasma Mobile or Phosh with their virtual keyboards.

I have tried to get Axolotl running, but since I was unable to register with it (it was impossible to enter the phone number due to Electron just being broken, see above), I have just given up on it. No Signal here, sorry. Since it is the only registration option that does not require proprietary software, there is no alternative.

Flare is at least considering primary device support, but for now, Axolotl is the only one (and that one is broken), unfortunately. There is also hope that Axolotl will be working better once it is ported to Tauri (which wraps WebKitGTK on GNU/Linux) instead of Electron.

when i used axolotl last time, i manage to pass captcha, but no registration. if i remember correctly, no activation sms, or activation code did not succeed,

[KC9UDX]

@zetabeta I'm aware that when the Signal app sent MMS, it wasn't secure, and so is everyone else that used it that way: they made it painfully obvious. I get it; but purposely limiting user functionality for the sake of the developer's ideals is never good. It was awesome before having one messaging app that does everything. I'm willing to accept responsibility for the risks I take. Everyone should be.

[zetabeta]

@zetabeta  I'm aware that when the Signal app sent MMS, it wasn't secure, and so is everyone else that used it that way: they made it painfully obvious.  I get it; but purposely limiting user functionality for the sake of the developer's ideals is never good.  It was awesome before having one messaging app that does everything.  I'm willing to accept responsibility for the risks I take.  Everyone should be.

i don't know should i agree or not. if i think the following. having one app for all communicatiosn and it is whatsapp, i'm not sure that one app philosophy is good.

your case doesn't sound problematic. but definitely signal app should not have sms and mms by default, and should not suggest sms/mms messaging when installing. user have to manually switch sms and mms option on.

[KC9UDX]

@zetabeta
Not one app for all communication, one app for all text messages.

I don't disagree. But just flat out taking the option away was silly. If it didn't originally have the capability, I never would've used it in the first place, and I'm not alone in that. Now I have to use Motorola messaging (because I'm not going back to the Google one) for some contacts and Signal for others.

Come to think of it, I don't think it did SMS/MMS by default; I'm pretty sure it was something I had to explicitly allow it to do.

[zetabeta]

@zetabeta
Not one app for all communication, one app for all text messages.

I don't disagree.  But just flat out taking the option away was silly.  If it didn't originally have the capability, I never would've used it in the first place, and I'm not alone in that.  Now I have to use Motorola messaging (because I'm not going back to the Google one) for some contacts and Signal for others.

Come to think of it, I don't think it did SMS/MMS by default; I'm pretty sure it was something I had to explicitly allow it to do.

now i start to get the actual issue. i encountered some apps, which do not allow local contacts, only cloud option. so if signal app uses local contacts, then it's an advantage. it is a reason enough to restore sms/mms option.

what i remenber in the past. sms/mms option was not default for signal, but it suggested during installtion.

[dante404]

I use Signal-Desktop from here. When I first installed it on my PP I used my old Android phone to link Signal on the PP.

But since I don't use Android anymore I'm now using the signal-cli to link Signal-Desktop on my computer and PPP (see Installation, Usage - Register a number, Linking other devices - Add another device).

Tried today, it worked!
Cool that something like signal-cli exists.
Again: Thank you!

Another short question: How about later updates? Do you just download and install the package of the new version? Or are further steps necessary then (register again or something like that)?

[zetabeta]

I use Signal-Desktop from here. When I first installed it on my PP I used my old Android phone to link Signal on the PP.

But since I don't use Android anymore I'm now using the signal-cli to link Signal-Desktop on my computer and PPP (see Installation, Usage - Register a number, Linking other devices - Add another device).

Tried today, it worked! 
Cool that something like signal-cli exists.
Again: Thank you!

Another short question: How about later updates? Do you just download and install the package of the new version? Or are further steps necessary then (register again or something like that)?

signal-cli stores keys and other userdata into "~/.local/share/signal-cli/". so i assume just running new version and that's it. (assuming that newer version does not use userdata differently).

not tested though, i think i can transfer those registration keys to another signal-cli by just moving above mentioned directory.

edit: slash in quotes.

[Pelecanus]

Another short question: How about later updates? Do you just download and install the package of the new version? Or are further steps necessary then (register again or something like that)?

Make a backup of the signal-cli data before upgrading - as zetabeta already mentioned, it is in "~/.local/share/signal-cli/". See also Upgrades.

Another thing to note: Use Signal (including the signal-cli) on all your registered / linked devices from time to time. Devices may get unregistered / unlinked when they are not used for a long time (months? years?) - I have read several reports about that.

[zetabeta]

running "./signal-cli -u +++ receive" in primary client some time to time might be required, maybe daily. (assuming you do not use signal-cli constantly).

edit: minor typo signal > signal-cli

[dante404]

@zetabeta & @Pelecanus :
I meant updates of the signal-desktop-app (sorry for not beeing precise on this), but everything you said about signal-cli is of course relevant and helpful as well, thanks!