I’d like to be able to chat from an Android phone without a SIM card.
Edit: Since several people have mentioned it, I’m including this note at the top. There are security issues with using a temporary number to register even if it is not needed to maintain the account. Anyone can gain access to the number and use it for account recovery, etc. I’m not an infosec person at all, but this seems pretty obviously bad. Some services will work fine with a landline or other permanent phone number, as long as you retain private access to the number.
NextCloud has end-to-end encrypted voice and video chat, and of course a whole bunch else, since people are mentioning self-hosting. The corresponding Android app “nextcloud talk”.
Nextcloud talk does not support E2E on mobile, web client only. I was just setting it up the other day and was very surprised when I saw this.
Matrix.
https://jami.net/ has an android app
I don’t know how private/secure it really is, but Teleguard doesn’t require a phone number.
I’d really like to see some research into them, though, to know how good/bad it is.
I don’t know where to even start.
Alternative: XMPP has been around for 25+ years, can be self-hosted, there’s numerous solutions available.
Side note but I was literally just thinking the other day that the accelerated rise of corruption and right-wing pivot of the globe also coincides with encrypted / anonymous communications. Mobsters and state actors must be having an absolute field day this past decade.
If the Epstein files have proven anything, it’s that these idiots use plain text email.
SimpleX chat does video calls.
Thanks, I’m going to check this out. Seems pretty straightforward which is good for the family to use
From all of us who donate to FSF.org To the world
A Free-as-in-speech-and-beer solution
Happy Newton’s birthday
Jitsi
isn’t that all google code?
Is it? I had no idea that was a potential accusation.
Edit: just did a quick search and found nothing indicating Jitsi is Google.
8x8 collects and gives to google https://jitsi.org/meet-jit-si-privacy/
and
the usage of the free meet.jit.si service, is not free of tracking, requires authentication at either Google, GitHub, or Facebook and is hosted at AWS which is not considered GDPR-compliant.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jitsi
matrix is much better.
Oh thanks!!!
With Jitsi you can also self-host the server-side components if that’s your thing: https://jitsi.github.io/handbook/docs/devops-guide
You can use element for that, just don’t use a matrix.org account.
Why not matrix?
I can’t speak for them, but personally I’ve been moving away from matrix entirely for a few reasons.
Element was always a buggy mess on my phone, and a shitty electron app on my laptop.
It was too difficult for normals and while I disagree, they wouldn’t use it. What’s a chat app without contacts after all?
While element was bugging and I was awaiting an update, I found out that the Matrix [.] org foundation was started as a project at Amdocs, then when it was defunded the lead of the project created the foundation. Amdocs is fucking sketchy, they’re associated with mossad and have infiltrated the US telcom networks. Now look, I’m not saying they backdoored matrix, but they did do the other thing and backdooring a chat app would be right in line with their entire schtick, and I’m just too fucking paranoid for that, straight up. It also leaks metadata like piss to any server that federates with yours so if mossad is working with the matrix org, they get all of it just by your server federating with the largest, “official” server. To some degree, metadata seems inescapable, but almost anyone is better than mossad.
So for now I’m trying out Delta Chat, seems alright so far. No video calling though.
But yeah maybe that whole Amdocs connection to the “official server” is what they were referencing, but if not I’d like to know their reason!
matrix.org is one instance, the biggest one. Guessing they require a phone number.
It does not appear to require a phone number. It even looks like an email address is optional.
Ah ok. I haven’t used matrix in a while, but it didn’t require a phone then (several years ago), so I thought they were saying not to use matrix in general.
If you feel like setting up a stun/turn server it’s possible to set up your own using something like xmpp or next cloud talk. Works for individual accounts with friends if not a plug and go app.
I have an ejabberd server setup for my family for this reason. Using the Conversations app off F-Droid and Gajim on desktops
It looks like Session has video calls in beta.
Note that most services requiring a phone number for registration don’t actually require that phone number to be connected to a SIM card in the device you’re using. That may be helpful depending on your use case.
GNU Jami though I had trouble getting it to work reliably, and you have to install an app. YMMV.
Jitsi is decent, especially if you don’t mind using their server meet.jit.si (may have changed by now). It uses WebRTC (i.e. you can use it with just a browser) which I think is preferable to a mobile app.
I think there will inherently be some lag if you’re using a mobile phone at the client side, because of all the codecs, wifi latency etc.
This shouldn’t be that hard a technical problem especially if you’re ok with audio-only. I don’t know why the existing programs all have probs in some areas. Jitsi is nice to use but a pain to self-host from what I can tell.
I have a self-hosted nextcloud that has a video chat feature (Nextcloud Talk) but it’s not great.
I have been wanting to spend a chunk of time looking into the situation and finding a good answer, or at least identifying the trade-offs clearly.
self hosted matrix instance here
Threema
It’s around $5 for the app. No phone number needed. End-to-end encryption for chat and calls (audio/video). Desktop versions are in beta.
iOS and Android
This looks promising. I Like that it has group video as well. Thanks.
