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Comment by rhamzeh | Hacker News Reader

Unfortunately Signal devs seem dead-set against F-Droid (whether on F-Droid, or hosting their own F-Droid repository) for some reason.

https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/9044#issu...

https://community.signalusers.org/t/signal-f-droid-repositor...

[EDIT] Last response of theirs on this issue I could find: https://community.signalusers.org/t/wiki-signal-android-app-...

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>For the vast majority of people, installing apps from third-party app stores like F-Droid requires them to enable “unknown sources”. Signal’s developers feel that normalizing this kind of behavior would be “a reversion back to the desktop security model” and that endorsing it through participation would be harmful. The only reason they distribute an APK outside of the Play Store is to reduce the harm of non-technical people installing fake apps instead.

I guess it somewhat makes sense that they're against the desktop model of app distribution, but IMO the phone model is not worth the added security. Signal may not have any problems as a messaging app, but both google and apple have some ridiculous rules that categories of apps have to comply with. In particular if you're an app for any sort of art community, prepare to tell your users to censor even mildly suggestive artwork, violent content, content dealing with drug use (even if not glorified), etc. That's not to speak of countless other limitations.

The desktop mode of distribution ain't so bad. at least you're still in charge of your own device

I find it extremely suspicious, and have pointed it out to others before, that the Signal developers refuse to distribute it without Google Play services (spyware). Coupled with its CIA funding background, I'm glad I've used it. https://yasha.substack.com/p/signal-is-a-government-op

Not everything government-funded must be government-backdoored, that is quite the conspiracy theory for an open source application.

You can also download the APK directly from the website (not using Google's store), which will self-update, and will function also if you don't have Google Play Service on your device.

There are caveats, like if you firewalled off Google services because outright removal will mess up other apps and an alternative ROM with µG means no more (proper) camera app: in that case Signal will detect Google Play, wait indefinitely for the push message via Google, and thus not function at all. So I don't like to defend them on this front, but it's simply not true that it's impossible to use without a Google backdoor on your phone.

It’s because they use FCM for sending push notifications and you need Google Play Services to use FCM. And Signal uses push notifications to know when to wake up and fetch data. Otherwise, it has to poll and do other ugly stuff which drains your battery quicker or makes the user experience much worse.

Signal’s taking a pragmatic approach that’s the best for most people, but not everybody.

That’s not true. Signal does provide an Android version without Google Play Services.

https://signal.org/android/apk/

I’ve used it for a long time on a GrapheneOS phone with zero Google software installed at all.

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