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Its only 1 way which means an Apple user can send a link to a non ios user to join in. I as an Android user cant do that. Cross platform like whatsapp, duo or

Its only 1 way which means an Apple user can send a link to a non ios user to join in. I as an Android user cant do that. Cross platform like whatsapp, duo or signal still win here

dannyw 5y ago
WhatsApp: Owned by a company that makes money invading your privacy. Duo: owned by a company that makes money invading your privacy.
- nso 5y ago
  I had to get upper management involved once when trying to buy an Airport Express, because they wouldn't allow me to make a purchase at the Apple store without leaving my name and contact details.
  - kstrauser 5y ago
    It's ethically OK to lie in these situations. You think I gave Radio Shack my real PII whenever I wanted to buy a battery?
    - dylan604 5y ago
      I've given out 212-555-1234 as my phone number to so many random places, that I've accidentally given it out when I didn't need to hide my real number.
      - olyjohn 5y ago
        Also just about everywhere... (xxx) 867-5309 works for rewards cards and things like that. Also at Walgreens, you can use (420) 420-4204. That was the number the cashier gave me there since I told them I didn’t have a rewards card.
        drewmol 5y ago
        Just about everywhere: (local area code)-123-4567. 10 years ago I was almost always the only entry, if you're ever in the Cleveland feel free to use Aaaron ;-) If they don't like 123, use the store phone # prefix
    - nso 5y ago
      I shouldn't have to lie. They didn't accept my "No.", nor that my full legal name was "Donald Fauntleroy Duck", until the case got escalated.
  - judge2020 5y ago
    There's a privacy carve-out for stores and selling items because you effectively have to provide this information when paying with card for fraud prevention (both online and for in-store loss prevention).
    - nso 5y ago
      I was paying cash. In my country you do not give any details when paying with card, you simply pay and you are on your way.
  - reaperducer 5y ago
    they wouldn't allow me to make a purchase at the Apple store without leaving my name and contact details Was this recent? I was able to buy a new Mac just a few weeks ago without giving any information.
    - nso 5y ago
      It was some years ago, I haven't been back since.
- commoner 5y ago
  Signal: developed by a non-profit organization, free and open source, end-to-end encrypted in all regions, no encryption key hosting arrangements with any government-owned third party firm
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - glogla 5y ago
    Also developed by guy who is fighting against you being able to install it without involvement with a company that makes money by invading your privacy, who also has a history of working for companies making money invading your privacy.
    - Forbo 5y ago
      Signal offers an APK that does not require the use of Google services.
  - dheera 5y ago
    Signal: requires disclosing a phone number to everyone you use it with
    - noja 5y ago
      Which means the other person knows it's me, right?
      - dave5104 5y ago
        Might be troublesome if you don't want the other person to know it's you, though. But that's probably not a problem in day to day communication with family and friends.
        rOOb85 5y ago
        > Might be troublesome if you don't want the other person to know it's you, though. You're mixing privacy and anonymity. Signal offers privacy from snooping, they have never claimed or tried to provide anonymity. Two very different use cases.
- criley2 5y ago
  FaceTime: Owned by a notoriously secretive and litigous company using closed source and unverifiable claims I'm not saying that Apple is somehow abusing your privacy in ways you don't know, but I am saying you don't really know one way or the other and largely cannot verify that their software is doing what they claim it does
- criley2 5y ago
  FaceTime: Owned by a notoriously secretive and litigous company using closed source and unverifiable claims I'm not saying that Apple is somehow abusing your privacy in ways you don't know, but I am saying you don't really know one way or the other and largely cannot verify that their software is doing what they claim it does Signal is open source, by the way.
kevincox 5y ago
To be clear are you saying that a web user has no way to initiate a call? They can only join via one-time link to a call started by a user on Apple hardware?
- bilal4hmed 5y ago
  That is correct So an Apple user creates a facetime call and sends the invite link to Android & Windows user. They then join on to the call using their browsers. Non iOS devices wont be able to make a call. The web interface is just a way to join a call.
  - igravious 5y ago
    So, unidirectional Zoom.
  - Twisell 5y ago
    I think it's still pretty unclear at this point, because "an Apple user" can refer to someone with an AppleID using a web-browser on another platform. Unless of course they made additional statements somewhere I'm unaware of (and maybe could you provide some source to further explain).
  - skinnymuch 5y ago
    So Apple user using an iOS or MacBook device, not just an Apple user? Presumably on a supported iOS or macOS version too which also limits the devices too.
ocdtrekkie 5y ago
My guess is if they want to roll out wider competitive support for FaceTime, they just need to take their web version, which is probably a PWA, and wrap it in Electron for Windows and whatever the heck Android does with PWAs to put on the Play Store, and add the ability to log in. This is a good first step though, and given I know people who only have Duo to video chat with their non-iOS contacts, this is going to be a blow to some competitors when that's no longer needed.
- enos_feedler 5y ago
  I think the main use case is participating in facetime via link rather than adopt facetime as your video solution. They would rather you buy into the apple ecosystem
swiley 5y ago
>forcing someone to create an account that uses their phone number and installs an app on their device If I had any choice I would decline to join a whatsapp or signal call.
- SilverRed 5y ago
  Phone number authentication is pretty nasty but it seems to be the only somewhat reliable method of spam prevention. It seems to be next to impossible to get extra phone numbers without government ID and large costs. These days even most email providers require phone number authentication to register.
  - swiley 5y ago
    I'll take the spam thanks.
skinnymuch 5y ago
From Duo wiki: “ In August 2020, it was reported that Google was planning to eventually replace Google Duo with Google Meet, but would continue to support Duo and "invest in building new features" in the long term.[2]” I don’t know exactly what that means. Seems like not much and Duo is still a priority. But all the deprecating and switching of Google products makes them a non win for me. It’s hard for me to get friends to try a new service. If it disappoints, the next time is that much harder.
- bilal4hmed 5y ago
  yeah who knows, that news came around the time Soltero joined Google and had all the communications apps under him. So far he has done a good job of consolidating Googles messaging platforms and Google Workspace. Duo is huge in India and I use it a lot with family, so I can vouch that the call video and audio quality is amazing. Switching apps ( like the whatsapp to signal ) is always painful though.
- ehsankia 5y ago
  It's no different than Hangouts. We got fed misleading headlines about how it was KILLED for years, but it seems like as far as users are concerned, it'll just be a UI change. Behind the scene they are migrating it to Chat, but all your chats and contacts and histogram will be migrated over. I would assume something similar with Duo. It'll probably change look and get merged into Meet, but it'll probably still be more or less the same app.
  - jayd16 5y ago
    As a Fi user, they did kill Hangouts for me. I can't use it for SMS and its only other advantage is it takes up a large chunk of my gmail tab. Why should I use it?
    - ehsankia 5y ago
      No one is forcing you to use it, and moving SMS to Voice wasn't great (though Hangouts never really was meant to be an SMS app), but for people like me who have used Hangouts for over a decade to chat with friends and family, it definitely isn't the doomed end most headlines made it sound. My family were asking me if we had to start looking for another place to chat 3 years ago, yet Hangouts is still up and working fine.

Its only 1 way which means an Apple user can send a link to a non ios user to join in. I as an Android user cant do that. Cross platform like whatsapp, duo or signal still win here

dannyw 5y ago

WhatsApp: Owned by a company that makes money invading your privacy. Duo: owned by a company that makes money invading your privacy.

nso 5y ago
I had to get upper management involved once when trying to buy an Airport Express, because they wouldn't allow me to make a purchase at the Apple store without leaving my name and contact details.
- kstrauser 5y ago
  It's ethically OK to lie in these situations. You think I gave Radio Shack my real PII whenever I wanted to buy a battery?
  - dylan604 5y ago
    I've given out 212-555-1234 as my phone number to so many random places, that I've accidentally given it out when I didn't need to hide my real number.
    - olyjohn 5y ago
      Also just about everywhere... (xxx) 867-5309 works for rewards cards and things like that. Also at Walgreens, you can use (420) 420-4204. That was the number the cashier gave me there since I told them I didn’t have a rewards card.
      - drewmol 5y ago
        Just about everywhere: (local area code)-123-4567. 10 years ago I was almost always the only entry, if you're ever in the Cleveland feel free to use Aaaron ;-) If they don't like 123, use the store phone # prefix
  - nso 5y ago
    I shouldn't have to lie. They didn't accept my "No.", nor that my full legal name was "Donald Fauntleroy Duck", until the case got escalated.
- judge2020 5y ago
  There's a privacy carve-out for stores and selling items because you effectively have to provide this information when paying with card for fraud prevention (both online and for in-store loss prevention).
  - nso 5y ago
    I was paying cash. In my country you do not give any details when paying with card, you simply pay and you are on your way.
- reaperducer 5y ago
  they wouldn't allow me to make a purchase at the Apple store without leaving my name and contact details Was this recent? I was able to buy a new Mac just a few weeks ago without giving any information.
  - nso 5y ago
    It was some years ago, I haven't been back since.
commoner 5y ago
Signal: developed by a non-profit organization, free and open source, end-to-end encrypted in all regions, no encryption key hosting arrangements with any government-owned third party firm
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- glogla 5y ago
  Also developed by guy who is fighting against you being able to install it without involvement with a company that makes money by invading your privacy, who also has a history of working for companies making money invading your privacy.
  - Forbo 5y ago
    Signal offers an APK that does not require the use of Google services.
- dheera 5y ago
  Signal: requires disclosing a phone number to everyone you use it with
  - noja 5y ago
    Which means the other person knows it's me, right?
    - dave5104 5y ago
      Might be troublesome if you don't want the other person to know it's you, though. But that's probably not a problem in day to day communication with family and friends.
      - rOOb85 5y ago
        > Might be troublesome if you don't want the other person to know it's you, though. You're mixing privacy and anonymity. Signal offers privacy from snooping, they have never claimed or tried to provide anonymity. Two very different use cases.
criley2 5y ago
FaceTime: Owned by a notoriously secretive and litigous company using closed source and unverifiable claims I'm not saying that Apple is somehow abusing your privacy in ways you don't know, but I am saying you don't really know one way or the other and largely cannot verify that their software is doing what they claim it does
criley2 5y ago
FaceTime: Owned by a notoriously secretive and litigous company using closed source and unverifiable claims I'm not saying that Apple is somehow abusing your privacy in ways you don't know, but I am saying you don't really know one way or the other and largely cannot verify that their software is doing what they claim it does Signal is open source, by the way.

kevincox 5y ago

To be clear are you saying that a web user has no way to initiate a call? They can only join via one-time link to a call started by a user on Apple hardware?

bilal4hmed 5y ago
That is correct So an Apple user creates a facetime call and sends the invite link to Android & Windows user. They then join on to the call using their browsers. Non iOS devices wont be able to make a call. The web interface is just a way to join a call.
- igravious 5y ago
  So, unidirectional Zoom.
- Twisell 5y ago
  I think it's still pretty unclear at this point, because "an Apple user" can refer to someone with an AppleID using a web-browser on another platform. Unless of course they made additional statements somewhere I'm unaware of (and maybe could you provide some source to further explain).
- skinnymuch 5y ago
  So Apple user using an iOS or MacBook device, not just an Apple user? Presumably on a supported iOS or macOS version too which also limits the devices too.

ocdtrekkie 5y ago

My guess is if they want to roll out wider competitive support for FaceTime, they just need to take their web version, which is probably a PWA, and wrap it in Electron for Windows and whatever the heck Android does with PWAs to put on the Play Store, and add the ability to log in. This is a good first step though, and given I know people who only have Duo to video chat with their non-iOS contacts, this is going to be a blow to some competitors when that's no longer needed.

enos_feedler 5y ago
I think the main use case is participating in facetime via link rather than adopt facetime as your video solution. They would rather you buy into the apple ecosystem

swiley 5y ago

>forcing someone to create an account that uses their phone number and installs an app on their device If I had any choice I would decline to join a whatsapp or signal call.

SilverRed 5y ago
Phone number authentication is pretty nasty but it seems to be the only somewhat reliable method of spam prevention. It seems to be next to impossible to get extra phone numbers without government ID and large costs. These days even most email providers require phone number authentication to register.
- swiley 5y ago
  I'll take the spam thanks.

skinnymuch 5y ago

From Duo wiki: “ In August 2020, it was reported that Google was planning to eventually replace Google Duo with Google Meet, but would continue to support Duo and "invest in building new features" in the long term.[2]” I don’t know exactly what that means. Seems like not much and Duo is still a priority. But all the deprecating and switching of Google products makes them a non win for me. It’s hard for me to get friends to try a new service. If it disappoints, the next time is that much harder.

bilal4hmed 5y ago
yeah who knows, that news came around the time Soltero joined Google and had all the communications apps under him. So far he has done a good job of consolidating Googles messaging platforms and Google Workspace. Duo is huge in India and I use it a lot with family, so I can vouch that the call video and audio quality is amazing. Switching apps ( like the whatsapp to signal ) is always painful though.
ehsankia 5y ago
It's no different than Hangouts. We got fed misleading headlines about how it was KILLED for years, but it seems like as far as users are concerned, it'll just be a UI change. Behind the scene they are migrating it to Chat, but all your chats and contacts and histogram will be migrated over. I would assume something similar with Duo. It'll probably change look and get merged into Meet, but it'll probably still be more or less the same app.
- jayd16 5y ago
  As a Fi user, they did kill Hangouts for me. I can't use it for SMS and its only other advantage is it takes up a large chunk of my gmail tab. Why should I use it?
  - ehsankia 5y ago
    No one is forcing you to use it, and moving SMS to Voice wasn't great (though Hangouts never really was meant to be an SMS app), but for people like me who have used Hangouts for over a decade to chat with friends and family, it definitely isn't the doomed end most headlines made it sound. My family were asking me if we had to start looking for another place to chat 3 years ago, yet Hangouts is still up and working fine.