Here is a Signal based alternative:
The thing that bothers me about Signal is it's a mobile service that, if I understand it correctly, needs your phone as the insertion point for the service. That is, even if you're on desktop, you connect to your mobile device.
That's great I suppose, but my mobile doesn't connect to my home network, and I'm in an area where service is spotty (or doesn't exist) most of my day. I'm certainly not going to get any family members who live in no-service areas to use it.
There's also the phone number thing. No reason that you can't use a UID of some sort that's not a phone number. I have to assume they're collecting them for some reason, as that's a wide-open hole in their process.
Agreed about the phone number, that bothers me with any service now days, and seems like more and more are requiring it.
Session, the link I posted, doesn't require a phone number, and I believe the desktop version can operate standalone on your internet and not require your phone. It's been awhile since I installed though.
I have it on my list to check out. Thank you.
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