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> If you do use Signal as your default SMS app on Android, you will need to select a new default SMS app on your phone. If you want to keep them, you’ll also ne
by NoGravitas 4y ago
> If you do use Signal as your default SMS app on Android, you will need to select a new default SMS app on your phone. If you want to keep them, you’ll also need to export your SMS messages from Signal into that new app.
This messaging seems a little tone-deaf, given that there is no way to export SMS messages from Signal. Apparently it's possible, using a third-party piece of software, to decrypt your backups and extract the messages, but that's not exactly a reasonable thing to expect people to do.
One of the reasons I liked Signal was because it was easy to get normal people to start using it, because they could just set it up as their SMS app, and continue life as normal, just getting the benefits of encryption for any of their contacts that were also using Signal. Now there's not notably any reason to use Signal as opposed to, say, Matrix.
- fitblipper 4y agoThey are enabling the ability to export SMS from signal now: https://community.signalusers.org/t/beta-feedback-for-the-upcoming-android-5-52-release/47714/126 https://community.signalusers.org/t/beta-feedback-for-the-up...
- saghm 4y agoThe phrase "one step forward, two steps back" comes to mind
- roter 4y agoConfirmed. Turned on the beta program and exported ~1000 text messages over to Google Messages. Settings->Chats->SMS and MMS->Export. Involves changing the default app for SMS between Signal and Google Messages.
- 1MachineElf 4y agoI can't fathom the cognitive dissonance of Signal community leaders actually suggesting their Android users to migrate to Google Messages. We're going from a best-in-class privacy app to an app best known for it's vendor's data hoarding. All because they think we should have the same sub-par SMS UX that iOS users are subjected to...
- fyvhbhn 4y agoOne more reason: signal still allows for easier discovery of other users, because it forces phone number sharing