5 ms·

I have like 6 phone numbers listed in my phone contact list for my sister alone, because she changes numbers every time she job hops and gets a new work phone,

I have like 6 phone numbers listed in my phone contact list for my sister alone, because she changes numbers every time she job hops and gets a new work phone, so I really question how well phone numbers work either. Most of those numbers are no longer hers, but I've lost track of which ones. I feel like there's a bubble of people for whom phone numbers are perhaps a useful, durable identity token, but I really think it's very much a bubble. Most people's phone numbers change fairly frequently.

johnisgood 5y ago
Not only that, but how can I use Signal on desktop without it? Can I do that? Plus every single citizen here who has a phone number has it tied to their identity, even if they buy the SIM card at the gas station, for example. They have to verify and confirm their identity once a year. Its purpose is to keep track of who uses what number.
- stormbrew 5y ago
  You can use signal on a desktop but you still need to tie your account to a phone number. It has a mechanism to share your history and all that to a desktop app, with key certification managed (afaik) from your phone app (and it requires periodic re-pairing of it if you're not using it regularly). It's not really a great experience imo.
rrdharan 5y ago
> Most people's phone numbers change fairly frequently. Citation? I think it’s just as easy to claim (and I certainly would bet that) most people’s phone numbers do not change frequently - I’d wager on something like 70% remain the same for 5+ years. Curious / interested to be proven wrong though?
- kreetx 5y ago
  My phone numer has literally never changed (going 20+ years now). Perhaps it's different in the US somehow (e.g people use their work number for private purposes too), but in my experience private numbers tend to remain the same.
  - iamtheworstdev 5y ago
    Not different here. My guess is that it only applies to people who never have a personal phone and only use work phones.
theshrike79 5y ago
Over here you can keep your number when you change networks. Very few people change their phone number ever.
- stormbrew 5y ago
  You can here too, I just know a lot of people who don't. And people who use their work phone (even if I think that's a bad idea) for personal use don't always have the option of keeping the number.
maxwell 5y ago
It looks like phone numbers are permanently deleted from Signal, seems problematic with re-provisioning. A previous purchaser of a newly provisioned phone number may have already deleted their Signal account before releasing it. https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007061192-Delete-Account https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007061192-De...

johnisgood 5y ago

Not only that, but how can I use Signal on desktop without it? Can I do that? Plus every single citizen here who has a phone number has it tied to their identity, even if they buy the SIM card at the gas station, for example. They have to verify and confirm their identity once a year. Its purpose is to keep track of who uses what number.

stormbrew 5y ago
You can use signal on a desktop but you still need to tie your account to a phone number. It has a mechanism to share your history and all that to a desktop app, with key certification managed (afaik) from your phone app (and it requires periodic re-pairing of it if you're not using it regularly). It's not really a great experience imo.

rrdharan 5y ago

> Most people's phone numbers change fairly frequently. Citation? I think it’s just as easy to claim (and I certainly would bet that) most people’s phone numbers do not change frequently - I’d wager on something like 70% remain the same for 5+ years. Curious / interested to be proven wrong though?

kreetx 5y ago
My phone numer has literally never changed (going 20+ years now). Perhaps it's different in the US somehow (e.g people use their work number for private purposes too), but in my experience private numbers tend to remain the same.
- iamtheworstdev 5y ago
  Not different here. My guess is that it only applies to people who never have a personal phone and only use work phones.

theshrike79 5y ago

Over here you can keep your number when you change networks. Very few people change their phone number ever.

stormbrew 5y ago
You can here too, I just know a lot of people who don't. And people who use their work phone (even if I think that's a bad idea) for personal use don't always have the option of keeping the number.

maxwell 5y ago

It looks like phone numbers are permanently deleted from Signal, seems problematic with re-provisioning. A previous purchaser of a newly provisioned phone number may have already deleted their Signal account before releasing it. https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007061192-Delete-Account https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007061192-De...