But this isn't adequate for the IM use case at all? I spend the bulk of my time not focused on my chat app tab(s) but I definitely want to be reported as 'available' by those chat apps, because I am if someone messages me.
If I am using a chat app, I definitely have no interest to tell you anything outside of the chat window. Why on the earth should I tell everyone that I am in front of the computer or not? Can't they just tell if I use the chat app recently or not? (It's public info anyway, if i am chatting in group, others will see the message.) Such function is definitely a security risk and I don't think I need it.
Even only with public group messages, you can figure out some others sleep schedule or when is he/she mostly active if you have enough data. This api will only make things worse because it trace you 'actively' now.
Besides that, you are able to send message when other is not here is the biggest point of a text chat app. If you must chat instantly, why not just call with phone?
Can't speak for the other commenter, but I'm "available" when I sit at my computer playing Civilization for 6 hours, despite the fact that I won't touch my IM application that entire time. If you're trying to set "Away" based on how often I interact with the application, you're getting it wrong for 5 hours and 40 minutes of that period.
"It’s not just about your usage of Chrome or a particular website: If you’ve stepped away from your computer and aren’t using any applications, Chrome can tell the website you’re not actively using your computer."
That suggests to me that this feature is more than just "did you touch that particular tab", and I'm not really sure how you're reading it differently?
I don't see what's not to understand or what logging out has to do with it. I have a browser tab for an IM application, that's also available as a native app on my phone. That tab is always open on my desktop. If I have other tabs open and am doing stuff, I still want my IM status to be 'available', and I want all notifications about new chats to go to that tab and to no other devices, while I am on my computer doing stuff.
If I go out for a walk or I go watch some TV or otherwise stop using my computer, depending on the chat app I want to either automatically be 'unavailable' (for work chat app), or I want to stay 'available' but have notifications go to my phone instead of the chat tab (for friends' chat apps).
His "special case" is that he goes more than 20 minutes between checking his chat client, but he is still available, so why should he be marked as 'away'?
Or you could manually message each of your contacts to let them know when you are available. Or you could physically show up at people's houses to let them know that you are available to talk.
There is always a less convenient and more manual way. Pointing that out helps no one.
Even only with public group messages, you can figure out some others sleep schedule or when is he/she mostly active if you have enough data. This api will only make things worse because it trace you 'actively' now.
Besides that, you are able to send message when other is not here is the biggest point of a text chat app. If you must chat instantly, why not just call with phone?