| > Signal has built a simple, seamless, and beautiful messaging platform I admire Signal for its security, and Mr. Marlinspike et al. have contributed much to the field but seamless and beautiful are not words I'd use to describe Signal. - Their desktop "app" is but an Electron app that feels native nowhere and is built from their old Chrome plugin - The app requires my phone to be on and connected (I am aware of why this is). - Their iPad app is non-existent and if ever released (no indication I can find that it is even planned) it would likely have the same requirement to keep my phone on and connected. - It doesn't appear possible to search conversations. - If I transfer to a new device, all my messages are gone unless I restore from a backup. To give an alternative secure messenger that has less of these problems, I've been investigating Wire. It has some of the same drawbacks vs Telegram but lacks the primary flaw of Signal's design: the dependence on my phone. But both Wire and Signal have one problem that I can't easily work around: No one I know uses them. No one I know wants to use them, because the user experience and convenience of the less secure messengers outweigh the decreased security. |