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Removing sms texting from their android app is probably going to make me stop using Signal. It's a shame, but there are not enough people using it to make it wo

by hersko 4y ago

Removing sms texting from their android app is probably going to make me stop using Signal. It's a shame, but there are not enough people using it to make it worth having another messaging app. I really hope they reconsider their decision.

anigbrowl 4y ago
Same. Many others have said the same thing, nobody I know has trouble distinguishing between secure and non-secure and nobody is enthused about having to run 2 apps to do the same job. Signal foundation doesn't seem to care.
- zamnos 4y ago
  Only two? Between regular texting (sms), WhatsApp, Facebook and Facebook messenger, Signal, Instagram, Twitter, Slack, Discord, Snapchat, Tinder, and finally WeChat, which are currently installed on my phone (space is cheap these days) I'm jealous. I probably make regular use of like seven of those. They mostly have different groups of people on them, though there's a lot of overlap when sharing content within an app (eg Instagram content is shared via Instagram, Twitter content via Twitter, even when that person has other ways of contacting me). I wonder why our use cases are so different! Is it down to the fact that the people I talk to are terminally online?
  - ufmace 4y ago
    Mostly the same and I agree. So many messaging apps sometimes. Though it's not quite so bad. IIRC all the Meta apps (Instagram and Facebook, I don't think Whatsapp though) can communicate with each other's DMs on any of the apps. And I don't use Slack for anything but work. I've refused to put Discord on my phone as well. Tinder seems like an odd one though - you can't get in touch with a random person you met otherwise on there, and if you have met them and want to keep seeing them it seems better to move to some other form of communication.
    - zamnos 4y ago
      Oh yeah totally, after forming an in-person connection with someone from Tinder, I'll move off platform, but rushing that is (at least where I am) bot behavior and hasn't lead me to success. Nor do I really trust someone pushing me off platform. It's just that there's so much texting that happens on-platform given even a low steam of matches that I chose to include it. I didn't include Hinge or Bumble in that list though, didn't want to inflate the app count.
  - anigbrowl 4y ago
    I use other messaging platforms, but when I'm sitting at my desk. If I'm relying on my phone then most of those communications are less important and I don't need to be fully connected/notified/tracked.
  - petodo 4y ago
    I have none of those, my father has none of those, all we had was Whatsapp and Signal, after the SMS drop it is back to Whatsapp and built in SMS app, my mother and wife have some other apps but not that many, wife has only wechat, mother I think only facebook messenger, so one extra app makes a lot difference especially if none of the contacts outside family use it.
i_k_k 4y ago
Ironically, they're killing the killer feature. Security when possible, but with a trivially easy-to-use fallback was what let me get others on the platform.
cpach 4y ago
And still there are lots of Signal users on iOS, who never had this possibility ever.
- mrweasel 4y ago
  Sadly, because it makes a ton of sense. It's the same way Apple got so many to use iMessage. People on iOS generally doesn't realize that iMessage isn't SMS. I really like Signal, but it's a niche thing for me. I have two friends who use it, familie is all on iMessage or SMS and SnapChat, that's it. Signal would make sense for those on SMS still, but convincing them to switch is going to be an uphill battle. Those on iMessage, why would they consider using Signal, when everything just works.
  - yokoprime 4y ago
    I very much notice green bubbles.
    - sdfhbdf 4y ago
      I think when parent wrote "People on iOS generally doesn't realize that iMessage isn't SMS" they are not talking about so-called technically-literate people. The very fact that you're commenting on HN probably means you're technically-literate so probably it does not apply to you. But I am also curious about that sentiment about not realizing iMessage isn't SMS that. I heard it repeated a lot. I have not met a lot of people that share this sentiment and have not heard of research around this specific topic. So I'd love to put some data behind it.
      - mrweasel 4y ago
        Data would be interesting, but we'd also need to know what people think SMS is. For my mom, SMS is the text messaging app on her iPhone. My sister knows that it's iMessage, but she doesn't care, it's still the app that allows her to send a text message, it might be iMessage, it might be SMS, but practically speaking, it's a text message. My guess is that it could be IRC or ICQ for all she cares, it move a message from her to a friend or family member. The important part is that it's able to reach anyone with a phone.
techwizrd 4y ago
I already have. I only use Signal for pre-existing conversations now. It's quite the shame.
aleksandrm 4y ago
Same, and I can no longer recommend Signal to all my friends and family because SMS was the only feature that would make them consider it. Otherwise every one just uses WhatsApp.
doublerabbit 4y ago
Signal won't stop spamming me for donations nor does the IOS version give me the ability to turn off notifications without displaying "Do you wish to turn on notifications" after x times of opening the app.
- baal80spam 4y ago
  Same here. I like Signal but this begging really needs to stop.
  - sdfhbdf 4y ago
    I'm wondering what do you think can Signal do to stay afloat being a non-profit that AFAIK relies solely on donations? Disclaimer: I pay Signal monthly (happy to do it in exhcange for no-bullshit app)
    - doublepg23 4y ago
      Use the $100M loan they have? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Foundation#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Foundation#History EDIT: Hopefully they made money on that scammy alt-coin too.
INTPenis 4y ago
Everyone is different, personally I didn't even know they had sms messaging. What's the point of that? Are they e2ee between Signal SMS users? Imho Signal is great for novice users. I even have my mom on it.
- redblacktree 4y ago
  The point is that I can use one app for all messaging, and if the other party has opted in, it's encrypted. Generally, I don't care whether or not any particular message is encrypted, but I want the world's communication to be encrypted by default. Using Signal as my main messaging app was a frictionless way to do that, while it included SMS. Now that they are dropping support for that, I will likely stop using Signal altogether, which means that more messages will be unencrypted. It's a loss for the world, but the friction is too high for me to use multiple apps.
- WithinReason 4y ago
  > Are they e2ee between Signal SMS users? Fun fact, they used to be. When I started using Signal that's how it worked.
  - sliken 4y ago
    Indeed, sending a little invite, saying "Install signal ..." Sadly that's exactly what every phishing attack wants you to do.
- DrewADesign 4y ago
  Zillions of people in the US use SMS exclusively and convincing them to switch to a more secure platform required making it easy. You might not have a problem with using multiple messaging apps but it sure confuses the hell out of my mother.
randlet 4y ago
Same. I only have a small handful of contacts that use Signal and I'll probably just switch back to using Messages. Secure when possible was a killer feature.
anony23 4y ago
Sms support was probably single-handedly the reason they were able to onboard as many users as they did. Removing it is an epic fuck up.
- DrewADesign 4y ago
  And their public "we're protecting you from yourselves" rationale is patronizing as hell.
cptskippy 4y ago
I've always found the SMS integration to be lackluster and subpar. I switched back to using a dedicated App because there was no added value to using their SMS capabilities. If the only thing keeping Signal on your phone is supporting SMS then you don't need Signal.
- DrewADesign 4y ago
  This is always the sort of thing people say when they don't bother to look at other people's use cases.
zrobotics 4y ago
I uninstalled just because of that, I'm not futzing around with a separate messaging app. I really don't understand why they chose to drop sms support, their stated reason makes no sense. If they are concerned about ambiguity of messages being private or not, they could just change the UI. Plus, I already thought it was very clear what messages weren't encrypted already.
- DrewADesign 4y ago
  Same. Did it as soon as they announced it.
bavell 4y ago
Same here, I've been happily using signal for years and will probably have to drop it since I won't be able to communicate with a majority of my contacts :( They're basically kicking me out as a happy user. I would love to continue using Signal, not sure what the motivation for this change is in the first place.
GuB-42 4y ago
Not only I uninstalled Signal, but I also deleted my account, and in the process Signal made a huge mess of my SMS. First thing, I am not an activist like Moxie. I think end-to-end encryption is a good thing, but it is not on top of my list. My primary reason for choosing a messaging app is to actually be able to message people, then there is the app general quality (fast, light on resources, stable, with the features I need, ...), encryption comes third. Signal had all three, SMS is almost universal in my country, it looked like a decent app that holds it own against dedicated SMS apps, and you have encryption as a bonus, nice. With SMS gone, it lost #1, I don't have any friends who are on Signal that can't be reached by other means, so that's enough to let it go. So I exported my SMS, and for some reason it exported it all as both SMS and MMS, making a huge mess that took a while to fix. In the process, in order to recover my data, I took a peek at the code, and while not terrible, it wasn't the best, for example, I stumbled upon some dead code. So with data loss involved, #2 is seriously compromised. Other issues include Signal "eating" SMS, not allowing them into their standard location (probably deliberate, but a negative for me), and for the final releases, SMS acknowledgment not working. I had trouble importing SMS at first too. And finally, while it has top notch encryption, and probably a good choice for targeted individuals, I consider the "X is on Signal" notifications questionable with regard to privacy. Just because we share entries on our address book don't mean we want to get in touch. In fact what if the reason I have someone in my address book is to block him? I know it has caused major trouble to someone. Also, when I first entered Signal, I was greeted by a scammer sporting the Amazon logo. Not a big deal, not the worst, spam is almost unavoidable, but it is another thing Signal don't protect you much against. With SMS support, I tolerated all these little quirks, it wasn't so bad, but without SMS, then it is out. And I am also a little pissed off for that export mess. As for why I also deleted my account. It wasn't in anger. Problem is, what if I uninstall signal and if someone I recently texted installed Signal? Most likely he would send his next messages via Signal instead of by SMS. If I didn't delete my account, the message would have been lost in limbo. By deleting my account, they will know I don't have the app anymore, and if they really wish to contact me, do it another way (ex: by SMS).
Zak 4y ago
I see this one a lot, mostly on HN. Nobody I actually know who uses Signal has raised that complaint. Having used multiple messaging apps for my entire adult life, I find resistance to it from technically literate people kind of surprising. On any given day, I'm likely to use Signal, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Discord, Slack, Matrix, and IRC. I'd like to get my contacts off a couple of those, but mostly not because it would reduce the number.
- johnchristopher 4y ago
  It's not worth it discussing Signal on HN. Circle jerk is too wide.
  - DrewADesign 4y ago
    Not even close to as big as the one that pretends to be the authority on other people's use cases and willingness to interact with technology.
    - johnchristopher 4y ago
      Like I said: it's too wide and Signal can't rarely be discussed on HN without matrix fanboys ruining the conversation.
- DrewADesign 4y ago
  Good thing your use case and willingness to interact with technology is the same as everybody else's.
Vinnl 4y ago
Unfortunately they were pretty much caught between a rock and a hard place there, rather than not listening to their users: https://community.signalusers.org/t/signal-blog-removing-sms-support-from-signal-android-soon/47954/57 https://community.signalusers.org/t/signal-blog-removing-sms...
m000 4y ago
I still feel that discontinuing SMS support was misguided, but I need to give Signal kudos for adding functionality to transfer your SMS history back to your phone, so that your messages won't get trapped into their app. We are not used to companies being that nice to their user base when their business plans change.
growse 4y ago
They're dropping it because the world is moving to RCS, and there's no API they (or anyone) can use to interact with RCS. Not dropping SMS would mean people getting annoyed at signal silently losing messages, as people use it to send SMS to which the recipient responds over RCS.
- timbit42 4y ago
  Doesn't this only affect group chats?
- rstuart4133 4y ago
  > They're dropping it because the world is moving to RCS, The "world" does not include iOS. In the USA, that's 55% of mobile phone users. With that in mind, lets go back to their reasons here https://community.signalusers.org/t/signal-blog-removing-sms-support-from-signal-android-very-soon/47954/57 https://community.signalusers.org/t/signal-blog-removing-sms... : 1. RCS is coming, and it doesn’t play well with Signal. I once had a situation when I was sending SMS to one of my friends via Signal, but I wasn’t seeing any of their responses Same will happen for iOS users. If Google/Android breaks SMS that badly for everyone I'll be dropping Google's Messenger. I expect most people would. 2. Proper SMS/MMS support is hard. No, I've done it, it's not hard. There aren't that many API's, and they've been stable for yonks. Yes, it may cause support issues. In fact I generated one. I sent my wife an SMS, and it didn't arrive. I posted a support question. Moxie(!) responded: we just use the Android API to send the message. I looked at the source. He was absolutely right, of course (why did I doubt it). It was a Samsung bug in the end. 3. SMS/MMS has plenty of it’s own bugs. Really? You are claiming the most used messaging platform on the planet is so riddled with bugs you can't support it. 4. Spam. What? I will still have SMS. Everyone will. We will all continue to get the get the same spam. It will just come through another app. 5. Finally, Signal having SMS support gives a lot of people the wrong impression of SMS. They think that because it’s Signal sending it, it’s actually secure. This where it clicked this was a marketing post. After reading all that I still don't know what engineering justification is. I presume there is one - maybe it's the level of support calls. Hell maybe they plan to introduce a paid version that does support SMS. If they do and it's a few bucks a year, I would pay it and say "nicely played boys".

by hersko 4y ago

anigbrowl 4y ago

Same. Many others have said the same thing, nobody I know has trouble distinguishing between secure and non-secure and nobody is enthused about having to run 2 apps to do the same job. Signal foundation doesn't seem to care.

zamnos 4y ago
Only two? Between regular texting (sms), WhatsApp, Facebook and Facebook messenger, Signal, Instagram, Twitter, Slack, Discord, Snapchat, Tinder, and finally WeChat, which are currently installed on my phone (space is cheap these days) I'm jealous. I probably make regular use of like seven of those. They mostly have different groups of people on them, though there's a lot of overlap when sharing content within an app (eg Instagram content is shared via Instagram, Twitter content via Twitter, even when that person has other ways of contacting me). I wonder why our use cases are so different! Is it down to the fact that the people I talk to are terminally online?
- ufmace 4y ago
  Mostly the same and I agree. So many messaging apps sometimes. Though it's not quite so bad. IIRC all the Meta apps (Instagram and Facebook, I don't think Whatsapp though) can communicate with each other's DMs on any of the apps. And I don't use Slack for anything but work. I've refused to put Discord on my phone as well. Tinder seems like an odd one though - you can't get in touch with a random person you met otherwise on there, and if you have met them and want to keep seeing them it seems better to move to some other form of communication.
  - zamnos 4y ago
    Oh yeah totally, after forming an in-person connection with someone from Tinder, I'll move off platform, but rushing that is (at least where I am) bot behavior and hasn't lead me to success. Nor do I really trust someone pushing me off platform. It's just that there's so much texting that happens on-platform given even a low steam of matches that I chose to include it. I didn't include Hinge or Bumble in that list though, didn't want to inflate the app count.
- anigbrowl 4y ago
  I use other messaging platforms, but when I'm sitting at my desk. If I'm relying on my phone then most of those communications are less important and I don't need to be fully connected/notified/tracked.
- petodo 4y ago
  I have none of those, my father has none of those, all we had was Whatsapp and Signal, after the SMS drop it is back to Whatsapp and built in SMS app, my mother and wife have some other apps but not that many, wife has only wechat, mother I think only facebook messenger, so one extra app makes a lot difference especially if none of the contacts outside family use it.

i_k_k 4y ago

Ironically, they're killing the killer feature. Security when possible, but with a trivially easy-to-use fallback was what let me get others on the platform.

cpach 4y ago

And still there are lots of Signal users on iOS, who never had this possibility ever.

mrweasel 4y ago
Sadly, because it makes a ton of sense. It's the same way Apple got so many to use iMessage. People on iOS generally doesn't realize that iMessage isn't SMS. I really like Signal, but it's a niche thing for me. I have two friends who use it, familie is all on iMessage or SMS and SnapChat, that's it. Signal would make sense for those on SMS still, but convincing them to switch is going to be an uphill battle. Those on iMessage, why would they consider using Signal, when everything just works.
- yokoprime 4y ago
  I very much notice green bubbles.
  - sdfhbdf 4y ago
    I think when parent wrote "People on iOS generally doesn't realize that iMessage isn't SMS" they are not talking about so-called technically-literate people. The very fact that you're commenting on HN probably means you're technically-literate so probably it does not apply to you. But I am also curious about that sentiment about not realizing iMessage isn't SMS that. I heard it repeated a lot. I have not met a lot of people that share this sentiment and have not heard of research around this specific topic. So I'd love to put some data behind it.
    - mrweasel 4y ago
      Data would be interesting, but we'd also need to know what people think SMS is. For my mom, SMS is the text messaging app on her iPhone. My sister knows that it's iMessage, but she doesn't care, it's still the app that allows her to send a text message, it might be iMessage, it might be SMS, but practically speaking, it's a text message. My guess is that it could be IRC or ICQ for all she cares, it move a message from her to a friend or family member. The important part is that it's able to reach anyone with a phone.

techwizrd 4y ago

I already have. I only use Signal for pre-existing conversations now. It's quite the shame.

aleksandrm 4y ago

Same, and I can no longer recommend Signal to all my friends and family because SMS was the only feature that would make them consider it. Otherwise every one just uses WhatsApp.

doublerabbit 4y ago

Signal won't stop spamming me for donations nor does the IOS version give me the ability to turn off notifications without displaying "Do you wish to turn on notifications" after x times of opening the app.

baal80spam 4y ago
Same here. I like Signal but this begging really needs to stop.
- sdfhbdf 4y ago
  I'm wondering what do you think can Signal do to stay afloat being a non-profit that AFAIK relies solely on donations? Disclaimer: I pay Signal monthly (happy to do it in exhcange for no-bullshit app)
  - doublepg23 4y ago
    Use the $100M loan they have? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Foundation#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Foundation#History EDIT: Hopefully they made money on that scammy alt-coin too.

INTPenis 4y ago

Everyone is different, personally I didn't even know they had sms messaging. What's the point of that? Are they e2ee between Signal SMS users? Imho Signal is great for novice users. I even have my mom on it.

redblacktree 4y ago
The point is that I can use one app for all messaging, and if the other party has opted in, it's encrypted. Generally, I don't care whether or not any particular message is encrypted, but I want the world's communication to be encrypted by default. Using Signal as my main messaging app was a frictionless way to do that, while it included SMS. Now that they are dropping support for that, I will likely stop using Signal altogether, which means that more messages will be unencrypted. It's a loss for the world, but the friction is too high for me to use multiple apps.
WithinReason 4y ago
> Are they e2ee between Signal SMS users? Fun fact, they used to be. When I started using Signal that's how it worked.
- sliken 4y ago
  Indeed, sending a little invite, saying "Install signal ..." Sadly that's exactly what every phishing attack wants you to do.
DrewADesign 4y ago
Zillions of people in the US use SMS exclusively and convincing them to switch to a more secure platform required making it easy. You might not have a problem with using multiple messaging apps but it sure confuses the hell out of my mother.

randlet 4y ago

Same. I only have a small handful of contacts that use Signal and I'll probably just switch back to using Messages. Secure when possible was a killer feature.

anony23 4y ago

Sms support was probably single-handedly the reason they were able to onboard as many users as they did. Removing it is an epic fuck up.

DrewADesign 4y ago
And their public "we're protecting you from yourselves" rationale is patronizing as hell.

cptskippy 4y ago

I've always found the SMS integration to be lackluster and subpar. I switched back to using a dedicated App because there was no added value to using their SMS capabilities. If the only thing keeping Signal on your phone is supporting SMS then you don't need Signal.

DrewADesign 4y ago
This is always the sort of thing people say when they don't bother to look at other people's use cases.

zrobotics 4y ago

I uninstalled just because of that, I'm not futzing around with a separate messaging app. I really don't understand why they chose to drop sms support, their stated reason makes no sense. If they are concerned about ambiguity of messages being private or not, they could just change the UI. Plus, I already thought it was very clear what messages weren't encrypted already.

DrewADesign 4y ago
Same. Did it as soon as they announced it.

bavell 4y ago

Same here, I've been happily using signal for years and will probably have to drop it since I won't be able to communicate with a majority of my contacts :( They're basically kicking me out as a happy user. I would love to continue using Signal, not sure what the motivation for this change is in the first place.

GuB-42 4y ago

Not only I uninstalled Signal, but I also deleted my account, and in the process Signal made a huge mess of my SMS. First thing, I am not an activist like Moxie. I think end-to-end encryption is a good thing, but it is not on top of my list. My primary reason for choosing a messaging app is to actually be able to message people, then there is the app general quality (fast, light on resources, stable, with the features I need, ...), encryption comes third. Signal had all three, SMS is almost universal in my country, it looked like a decent app that holds it own against dedicated SMS apps, and you have encryption as a bonus, nice. With SMS gone, it lost #1, I don't have any friends who are on Signal that can't be reached by other means, so that's enough to let it go. So I exported my SMS, and for some reason it exported it all as both SMS and MMS, making a huge mess that took a while to fix. In the process, in order to recover my data, I took a peek at the code, and while not terrible, it wasn't the best, for example, I stumbled upon some dead code. So with data loss involved, #2 is seriously compromised. Other issues include Signal "eating" SMS, not allowing them into their standard location (probably deliberate, but a negative for me), and for the final releases, SMS acknowledgment not working. I had trouble importing SMS at first too. And finally, while it has top notch encryption, and probably a good choice for targeted individuals, I consider the "X is on Signal" notifications questionable with regard to privacy. Just because we share entries on our address book don't mean we want to get in touch. In fact what if the reason I have someone in my address book is to block him? I know it has caused major trouble to someone. Also, when I first entered Signal, I was greeted by a scammer sporting the Amazon logo. Not a big deal, not the worst, spam is almost unavoidable, but it is another thing Signal don't protect you much against. With SMS support, I tolerated all these little quirks, it wasn't so bad, but without SMS, then it is out. And I am also a little pissed off for that export mess. As for why I also deleted my account. It wasn't in anger. Problem is, what if I uninstall signal and if someone I recently texted installed Signal? Most likely he would send his next messages via Signal instead of by SMS. If I didn't delete my account, the message would have been lost in limbo. By deleting my account, they will know I don't have the app anymore, and if they really wish to contact me, do it another way (ex: by SMS).

Zak 4y ago

I see this one a lot, mostly on HN. Nobody I actually know who uses Signal has raised that complaint. Having used multiple messaging apps for my entire adult life, I find resistance to it from technically literate people kind of surprising. On any given day, I'm likely to use Signal, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Discord, Slack, Matrix, and IRC. I'd like to get my contacts off a couple of those, but mostly not because it would reduce the number.

johnchristopher 4y ago
It's not worth it discussing Signal on HN. Circle jerk is too wide.
- DrewADesign 4y ago
  Not even close to as big as the one that pretends to be the authority on other people's use cases and willingness to interact with technology.
  - johnchristopher 4y ago
    Like I said: it's too wide and Signal can't rarely be discussed on HN without matrix fanboys ruining the conversation.
DrewADesign 4y ago
Good thing your use case and willingness to interact with technology is the same as everybody else's.

Vinnl 4y ago

Unfortunately they were pretty much caught between a rock and a hard place there, rather than not listening to their users: https://community.signalusers.org/t/signal-blog-removing-sms-support-from-signal-android-soon/47954/57 https://community.signalusers.org/t/signal-blog-removing-sms...

m000 4y ago

I still feel that discontinuing SMS support was misguided, but I need to give Signal kudos for adding functionality to transfer your SMS history back to your phone, so that your messages won't get trapped into their app. We are not used to companies being that nice to their user base when their business plans change.

growse 4y ago

They're dropping it because the world is moving to RCS, and there's no API they (or anyone) can use to interact with RCS. Not dropping SMS would mean people getting annoyed at signal silently losing messages, as people use it to send SMS to which the recipient responds over RCS.

timbit42 4y ago
Doesn't this only affect group chats?
rstuart4133 4y ago
> They're dropping it because the world is moving to RCS, The "world" does not include iOS. In the USA, that's 55% of mobile phone users. With that in mind, lets go back to their reasons here https://community.signalusers.org/t/signal-blog-removing-sms-support-from-signal-android-very-soon/47954/57 https://community.signalusers.org/t/signal-blog-removing-sms... : 1. RCS is coming, and it doesn’t play well with Signal. I once had a situation when I was sending SMS to one of my friends via Signal, but I wasn’t seeing any of their responses Same will happen for iOS users. If Google/Android breaks SMS that badly for everyone I'll be dropping Google's Messenger. I expect most people would. 2. Proper SMS/MMS support is hard. No, I've done it, it's not hard. There aren't that many API's, and they've been stable for yonks. Yes, it may cause support issues. In fact I generated one. I sent my wife an SMS, and it didn't arrive. I posted a support question. Moxie(!) responded: we just use the Android API to send the message. I looked at the source. He was absolutely right, of course (why did I doubt it). It was a Samsung bug in the end. 3. SMS/MMS has plenty of it’s own bugs. Really? You are claiming the most used messaging platform on the planet is so riddled with bugs you can't support it. 4. Spam. What? I will still have SMS. Everyone will. We will all continue to get the get the same spam. It will just come through another app. 5. Finally, Signal having SMS support gives a lot of people the wrong impression of SMS. They think that because it’s Signal sending it, it’s actually secure. This where it clicked this was a marketing post. After reading all that I still don't know what engineering justification is. I presume there is one - maybe it's the level of support calls. Hell maybe they plan to introduce a paid version that does support SMS. If they do and it's a few bucks a year, I would pay it and say "nicely played boys".