PSA: We've received questions about push notifications. First: push notifications for Signal NEVER contain sensitive unencrypted data & do not reveal the contents of any Signal messages or calls–not to Apple, not to Google, not to anyone but you & the people you're talking to. 1/
In Signal, push notifications simply act as a ping that tells the app to wake up. They don't reveal who sent the message or who is calling (not to Apple, Google, or anyone). Notifications are processed entirely on your device. This is different from many other apps. 2/
What's the background here? Currently, in order to enable push notifications on the dominant mobile operating systems (iOS and Android) those building and maintaining apps like Signal need to use services offered by Apple and Google. 3/
Apple simply doesn’t let you do it another way. And Google, well you could (and we've tried), but the cost to battery life is devastating for performance, rendering this a false option if you want to build a usable, practical, dependable app for people all over the world.* 4/
So, while we do not love Big Tech choke points and the control that a handful of companies wield over the tech ecosystem, we do everything we can to ensure that in spite of this dynamic, if you use Signal your privacy is preserved. 5/
*(Note, if you are among the small number of people that run alt Android-based operating systems that don't include Google libraries, we implement the battery-destroying push option, and hope you have ways to navigate.) 6/
Auch gerne in Englisch...
OK, but how about installing a corresponding interface so that you can use UnifiedPush, for example. This would allow everyone to decide for themselves what they use. The consumption of the Signal Clon is just... 1.88%/h! With UnifiedPusch! So what really is the problem?
@noname @Mer__edith While it mayb be 1.88% for your phone, it could be much higher for phones with a smaller or older battery.
There are millions of smartphone users who do not have electricity at home (and some don't even have a home). For these users, every hour of battery life counts.
@newstik @Mer__edith
Therefore an implementation that can be switched on or off. So that everyone can decide for themselves how they would like it
@noname @Mer__edith A wonderful idea in an ivory tower. For maybe 20k users.
I think it's best to reduce to the max for the next 20 million.
@newstik @noname @Mer__edith Signal actually already decided to support Google-free devices, the problem is their implementation. Signal provides direct download links and does not require Play Services. Using #UnifiedPush would be a big improvement in what they already support. So we should focus on real world solutions that exist right now: keep Google push for those with Play Services, and use an existing FOSS solution for those without.
