Is it possible to text with other people using different messengers? You can use iOS iMessage with SMS and iMessage. But here I’m looking for communicating with a friend like this: he would use Signal and I stick with iMessage?
Reason: I don’t own a smartphone, my iPad has no SIM card, so Signal isn’t possible on my side. We already agreed on not using WhatsApp. Any other suggestions for iOS?
@CerstinMahlow You're basically almost right on time with that question! When the Digital Markets Act goes into effect soon (May I think?), it will be mandatory for large messengers to be interoperable. https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/6/24063705/whatsapp-interoperability-plans-eu-dma
I run a Matrix server that I'm planning to use to talk to people on Signal and WhatsApp. Last I heard, Apple was still trying to weasel out of it for iMessage.
@julian @CerstinMahlow the matrix-server with signal bridge is not useful in this case, because to be able to use the bridge in a matrix-client (element or other) a working signal-app must be available (pair new device in signal).
@julian @CerstinMahlow and if you set up bridges on your matrix server for signal and whatsapp and use them in the future, you have a data protection problem imho, because none of the signal and wa users know that you are transferring the data and communication to another system (and country), they have not consented to this either, they assume that the signal and wa data protection regulations are valid. i know, this is never discussed among the bridge fans.
@wuethrich I'm guessing you were typing this before you got my first reply. Again, I'm not going to be using bridges and I'm not going to have a Signal or WhatsApp account. I'm going to be using the native messenger interoperability mandated by the DMA, and Signal/WhatsApp are going to send their messages to my Matrix server knowing that it is a Matrix server. How they explain that to their users is up to them, maybe there'll be a popup warning.
@julian @wuethrich nice dream
it remains to be seen when this will happen with the DMA and, above all, who will join in. most messengers do not (currently) fall under the DMA and most of them will probably not join in at all.
@wuethrich I guess Signal hasn't commented on it recently, or at least I wasn't able to find a more recent stance from them than one from 2022 where they were against it. But we do know that WhatsApp and Matrix are both planning to interoperate. Whether that's going to happen next month or if it'll take a bit longer, let's wait and find out.
@julian @wuethrich great solution, in the end wa and matrix remain
@wuethrich Dude, why are you so determined to pick a fight about this. I didn't list all affected messengers, I listed the ones I personally care about. Like you said, we don't know yet exhaustively which services are going to be part of it.
Why are we still talking? Are you trying to convince me that interoperability is bad, or that EU regulation is bad, or what? What's the goal here?
@julian no neither, and not judgmental.
the aim is simply to communicate clearly what is currently the case.
if this has come across incorrectly, sorry.
@wuethrich Okay thanks, that's good to know and helps me read your replies properly. You've corrected my misconception about Signal falling under the DMA, so thanks for that as well. Let's keep trying to look at the present and the future with a clear, reasonably skeptical head without falling into the doomposting trap.
@julian the next one not to join in
short, question „do you have plans to implement the DMA (interoptability)?“
clear answer from simplex:
No. We don’t have to.