[v7p1Qbt1im]

Nice. Now please finally give us iOS cloud backups before i break or loose my phone and years of conversations get evaporated.

[JoshTriplett]

I'd settle for full sync of chats between my own devices. If I can sync between my laptop and my phone, that's sufficient, since I already back up my laptop.

[harry8]

Counterpoint:

I don't want backups for IM. I don't want my counter-parties to have backups for e2e encrypted IM. I don't want IM to last. Why record every conversation on your permanent record? It's nuts.

For me, having a searchable record of everything said defeats the whole purpose if IM and e2e encryption. I'm sure the NSA like it.

Reasonable people may differ on it.

[Zuiii]

> I don't want my counter-parties to have backups for e2e encrypted IM.

That's not your choice to make.

[harry8]

Are you happy with anyone you talk to secretly bugging the conversation and transcribing it?

I don't want to be randomly assaulted on the street, also not my choice to make. Doesn't make it ok imho.

[int_19h]

They can do that in any case if they want to, just by taking photos of their phone screen.

[worez]

what's stopping someone from just showing another person their phone screen with your messages?

[nikisweeting]

Ok but I can already do it on desktop (and it's even easier on Android), it's only missing on iOS. So this point is kinda moot...

The encryption key is in cleartext on desktop and the SQLite db is right next to it: ~/Library/Application Support/Signal/config.json

[infotainment]

The lack of any kind of backup/export for iOS is the main thing keeping me from recommending Signal.

Sadly, from what I’ve seen in similar threads online, it seems the devs are opposed to backups in principle (they believe that chats should be ephemeral and backing up is antithetical to this).

[erichocean]

> The lack of any kind of backup/export for iOS is the main thing keeping me from recommending Signal.

"No one can read your chats, including you." — Signal

[nar001]

The devs are working on a cloud backup solution so not quite true, but it's also the one thing that's keeping me from recommending Signal https://signalupdateinfo.com/news/cloud-backups.html

[jtriangle]

Run a windows VM, install signal desktop, bob's your auntie.

[infotainment]

This is basically what I do, just replace Windows vs Mac.

Still, I feel it's much more inconvenient than it really needs to be; the correct UX is a button press.

[gitaarik]

Why iOS cloud backup? Why not a universal backup way, OS / cloud vendor independent?

[v7p1Qbt1im]

I‘ll take it. Even offline backups would be an improvement.

For people worried about having not consented to other peoples backup. They could implement ephemeral-only chats, or backup-excluded chats where both parties have to agree to changes.

[simonklitj]

Just happened to me a couple of months ago. Cannot agree with you more.

[laktak]

You may be able to install something like https://github.com/mollyim/mollyim-android in the EU ... eventually.