SimpleX Chat is an instant messenger that is decentralized and doesn’t depend on any unique identifiers such as phone numbers or usernames. Users of SimpleX Chat can scan a QR code or click an invite link to participate in group conversations.
-privacyguides.org
It’s clearly proving to be the most innovative technology when it comes to decentralized communication, in my opinion.
No userbase + when I exported db ld device and then import to new one, it didnt work…
Never heard and don’t know any users. I suspect I’m not alone.
I saw a user’s hash just this week — it was in a ransom note. They required their victims to sign up for the service and text a code to their userhash to kick off sending the attacker cryptocurrency so they’d send a decryption key and not make stolen data public.
Other than that use case, it hasn’t picked up many users that I’m aware of.
I would use it, if there were unified push support.
What is that and why does it matter?
unified push works as a stand in for gms on devices without it. it runs in the background & receive the wakeup pings for the apps (in this case simplex) so you only need one websocket open instead of a different background service for each app. hugely reduces battery use.
Does that work without google services? I thought this was why signal said they wouldn’t remove gapps depends, and all privacy apps do pull instead of push?
Jami has that.
Also Molly and Mercurygram and most of the Matrix messengers
Jami is a bloated insecure mess. It is getting better but I would not use it
They do. I labsolutely ove it
“Hang on let me write down my QR code”
Usernames exist for a reason, especially in chat apps. Not having usernames is only going to severely limit your target demographic. And if nobody uses your app does it’s benefits even matter?
You just scan QR codes. It is not that complicated
It can be pretty complicated without a phone. Especially if your computer doesn’t have a webcam.
you don’t need a camera, you can load the qrCode image (after sending it through Signal 🤭
just send them the link
Thereby surrendering your anonymity and negating any reason to use the app over mainstream alternatives.
You match with someone on a dating app and want to move to the next step… Sending them a QR code to scan into the app is a huge hurdle.
Well dating apps are not made for privacy
A Messaging app is made for communication. The ideal dream is a messaging app that is both easy to communicate with, and respect privacy. If a messaging app cannot be used for a common messaging use case, like dating. It’s not going to work as a general messaging app
Any chat protocol without full mutli-device support is not really an option for me https://github.com/simplex-chat/simplex-chat/issues/444.
Interesting project, but last time I tried it was battery hungry, and having made quite an effort to get some of my contacts on Signal, I don’t see it happen to get them all on SimpleXChat. And Signal Stickers make Signal more attractive for some.
I’d say the battery problem is now under control. The UI is still horrible though…
If I want a simple chat protocol, I use IRC or XMPP. These are battle proven by time. If I want a really secure protocol, I use Signal or Matrix. These are endored by many security experts who their shit when they assess protocols, crypto and solutions.
SimpleX may be a good alternative for anonymous communication, but there is plenty options out there. Considering how many startups are funded by cheap VC money, and the business model is always “provide something awesome, and once you have enough traction - enshittify it” makes me very weary of investing myself in new solutions no matter how open-source the are.
I may sound bitter and skeptic, but I’ve seen this pattern has been repeated many times over.
Signal was funded by the CIA for a decade
So? Tor is in a similar boat.
Government agencies need secure crypto to hide their activities, and it doesn’t work if they’re the only ones using the technology.
I think his point is that funding doesn’t equate to it being shit
I’ve been a fan of SimpleX for a while now. Privacy comes at the cost of convenience, and SimpleX is the most private messaging platform according to this spreadsheet.
No Jami? Absurd.
Jami hasn’t had a security audit
Doesn’t work, never will. Partly because both have ro be online to chaz
Jami really needs to get talked about more. I think it’s great.
Thanks for this report.
Beware https://privacyspreadsheet.com/messaging-apps uses Google fonts. So much for privacy.
Session messenger allows you to chat without linking a phone number to your account. It’s what drug dealers use lol.
Same for simplex 🫠
What really bothers me about Session is that you effectively cannot selfhost - hosting a node is prohibitively expensive. So seems like the only people who can realistically host a node are crypto bros, big companies and government agencies. Thanks, I would rather stick with IRC/XMPP/Matrix.
I’d definitely use it if my friends were using it. Sadly, I can’t even get them to use signal.
Find better friends. I say that but my friends decided to leave Facebook Messenger group chat… for Instagram. Now they use both.
Same… Sigh…
I don’t need people to be hyper-privacy minded. But just a little bit at least. I’m not expecting everybody to self host a matrix server and use element and run self hosted services on their own RPI.
But just not pick one of the worst ones?
My friends barely want to use Signal. There’s no chance they’re using something else.
Seems like another one of those mobile only messengers, not really interested in those to be honest.
There’s a desktop app: https://simplex.chat/downloads/#desktop-app
Ah, must have missed that one, though
Using the same profile as on mobile device is not yet supported – you need to create a separate profile to use desktop apps.
is a pretty major downside.
Actually, you can scan a qr code and use on both
But wouldn’t that mean if someone writes to your desktop profile you can’t respond on mobile and vice versa? And you would have to be added by everyone else twice too?
Yes.
You have to switch between devices.
When this becomes seamless, it’ll be a more competitive app.
Also, it’s a ram eater on my phone
There is a desktop app but linking is not as easy and featured as Session, which is really easy to use on multiple devices, but then you lose the superior security of SimpleX
This is why I use Wire.
Desktop is a first-class app (not dependent on a mobile app), no phone number required, and syncing chats between all your devices just works.
Wire hasn’t been updated in 2 years on fdroid tho, so I’m eager to switch to something else. But nothing else exists that meets these basic usability reqs.
I think it’s just that there are too many options and the communities are so fragmented. I’m trying out simplex but it still feels like beta software. Regardless I’d like to see it succeed so we have a real private alternative that doesn’t rely on big tech of shady government sponsorship.
I don’t trust for profit venture capital funding, if you want to see where it ends up just Look at how telegram or wickr transitions from being “open” and free to getting stripped of features only to have them become paid only and the wickr sold off to Amazon and ended all non business support…the business model for making a profit off chat applications is bad for users.
Also now that signal supports usernames I have no reason to use anything else even for people I wouldn’t want having my real number.
