5 ms·

SMS almost doesn't matter outside of the USA. No one in my circle has once asked if Signal had SMS support, neither have I ever received an SMS since like 2010.

GuB-42 2y ago
I live in France, SMS is really big here. Not as much as it once was, but it is still one of the most popular way to send text messages, probably not the most popular anymore, but close. In addition, it is still the standard way for businesses to notify you and for 2FA when they don't have a dedicated app.
- em-bee 2y ago
  but is it big enough that people will refuse a messaging app that does not support SMS?
  - GuB-42 2y ago
    Actually, yes. The big argument for getting non-geek friends and family members to get Signal is "take this app, nothing will change for you, you can still SMS the way you did before, but you will have better privacy". Early versions of Signal could also import SMS, so it really was transparent. Well, mostly, there was still some issues they could have addressed, but didn't. You can't use that argument anymore, the most likely reaction you will get is "I already have too many apps, I don't want another one, it is too complicated". Or you may install them Signal, and they proceed to send you another SMS, because that's what they always do, and it works, and they still have their SMS app. Or they already have WhatsApp, and so do you, and they are perfectly happy with it. Really, for me SMS was the little thing Signal had that could help its adoption by the public at large.
    - growse 2y ago
      Someone asked them why they dropped SMS a few years back and got a detailed reply: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33258684 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33258684 The most compelling bit here for me is RCS. Lots of devices will auto upgrade an SMS chat to RCS if they think that both ends support it. Signal cannot support RCS (there's no API) so you'd end up with a situation where someone uses signal to send an SMS, the recipient device then replies over RCS and signal never gets the reply. Not great for usability.

GuB-42 2y ago

I live in France, SMS is really big here. Not as much as it once was, but it is still one of the most popular way to send text messages, probably not the most popular anymore, but close. In addition, it is still the standard way for businesses to notify you and for 2FA when they don't have a dedicated app.

em-bee 2y ago
but is it big enough that people will refuse a messaging app that does not support SMS?
- GuB-42 2y ago
  Actually, yes. The big argument for getting non-geek friends and family members to get Signal is "take this app, nothing will change for you, you can still SMS the way you did before, but you will have better privacy". Early versions of Signal could also import SMS, so it really was transparent. Well, mostly, there was still some issues they could have addressed, but didn't. You can't use that argument anymore, the most likely reaction you will get is "I already have too many apps, I don't want another one, it is too complicated". Or you may install them Signal, and they proceed to send you another SMS, because that's what they always do, and it works, and they still have their SMS app. Or they already have WhatsApp, and so do you, and they are perfectly happy with it. Really, for me SMS was the little thing Signal had that could help its adoption by the public at large.
  - growse 2y ago
    Someone asked them why they dropped SMS a few years back and got a detailed reply: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33258684 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33258684 The most compelling bit here for me is RCS. Lots of devices will auto upgrade an SMS chat to RCS if they think that both ends support it. Signal cannot support RCS (there's no API) so you'd end up with a situation where someone uses signal to send an SMS, the recipient device then replies over RCS and signal never gets the reply. Not great for usability.