<![CDATA[There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device.]]>There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device.

I actually don't want any kind of Android or Android-based device. I could use Graphene but I don't want to use that either.

I'd like to get less reliant on Signal too, but here's a challenge: is anyone successfully running Signal with *no* iOS or Android-type devices involved in the process and maintaining their account? How are you doing it?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/4937df51-d212-41e1-b558-30dcc49b98b6/there-is-really-only-one-thing-keeping-me-tied-to-google-stuff-the-fact-that-i-don-t-really-know-how-to-use-signal-without-having-an-android-y-device.RSS for NodeSat, 06 Jun 2026 08:59:59 GMTWed, 20 May 2026 16:51:32 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 18:43:39 GMT]]>@cwebber After reading this thread: https://forums.ubports.com/topic/11451/cant-install-whatsapp-or-signal-on-waydroid/14

You could probably install Langis or whatever non-gapps version of Signal in waydroid via a custom F-Droid repo. I'd stick to a non-android phone OS with waydroid support at the very least, so you can try this. However it might be worth setting up waydroid on a computer and testing this is still possible first. Might be possible to setup waydroid with a Google-Apps android image as well, but I'm not sure how restricted that is. Unfortunately none of these Signal forks support alternatives to gapps push notifications, though, so your notifications on new messages will be delayed. Hopefully one of these will support Sunup as a push notifications provider someday. I think it should be possible, people in the thread I linked have done something similar before fairly recently.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.pixie.town/users/thufie/statuses/116608376469006519https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.pixie.town/users/thufie/statuses/116608376469006519Wed, 20 May 2026 18:43:39 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 18:21:15 GMT]]>@cwebber@social.coop there's an unsanctioned CLI tool that lets you do this, but Signal has been known to be hostile towards users using such tools in the past.

supposedly they will be adding an official way to do this soon.]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://nya.social/notes/819e469ed5bbfc8caa87b566https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://nya.social/notes/819e469ed5bbfc8caa87b566Wed, 20 May 2026 18:21:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 17:40:02 GMT]]>There's dozens of us! Dozens!

Anyway, here: https://gist.github.com/gruz/37ecc18353121759f7104f6a23f7fbc5 . Ignore the "Windows" in the title, it's irrelevant and the instructions translate trivially to whatever distro you are using.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.wuatek.is/objects/b3994fd5-ec66-4ae6-9a10-3928fe46519chttps://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.wuatek.is/objects/b3994fd5-ec66-4ae6-9a10-3928fe46519cWed, 20 May 2026 17:40:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 17:36:49 GMT]]>@cwebber Does Waydroid count?]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://p.changeme.fr.eu.org/objects/16894178-1587-4dae-b6a9-a498eaf02c69https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://p.changeme.fr.eu.org/objects/16894178-1587-4dae-b6a9-a498eaf02c69Wed, 20 May 2026 17:36:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 17:23:57 GMT]]>@cwebber There working on making it possible to use signal desktop without a phone right? Linux phones are getting close to usable these days, too.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.mauve.moe/users/mauve/statuses/116608063101978238https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.mauve.moe/users/mauve/statuses/116608063101978238Wed, 20 May 2026 17:23:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 17:23:35 GMT]]>@cwebber are you on a Linux phone then?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/116053422558896847/statuses/116608061610658665https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/116053422558896847/statuses/116608061610658665Wed, 20 May 2026 17:23:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 17:19:20 GMT]]>@z3r0fox @cwebber +1 here I saw some standalone work done here recently

Link Preview Image
A few updates for the standalone registration flow ยท signalapp/Signal-Desktop@0fb80a2

A private messenger for Windows, macOS, and Linux. - A few updates for the standalone registration flow ยท signalapp/Signal-Desktop@0fb80a2

favicon

GitHub (github.com)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://peoplemaking.games/ap/users/115979384448575011/statuses/116608044935049130https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://peoplemaking.games/ap/users/115979384448575011/statuses/116608044935049130Wed, 20 May 2026 17:19:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 17:15:39 GMT]]>@cwebber
If googevil carries out it's Evil September threat I may end up going back to apple as the lesser evil, just for this reason.

I think SailfishOS tries with Whisperfish but I'm not that confident I understand the holes.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://bsd.network/users/hypostase/statuses/116608030449599376https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://bsd.network/users/hypostase/statuses/116608030449599376Wed, 20 May 2026 17:15:39 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 17:08:05 GMT]]>@cwebber subscribing to this thread

signal is the major thing holding me back from switching to a LightPhone

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://spanner.works/users/bouncinglime/statuses/116608000657674849https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://spanner.works/users/bouncinglime/statuses/116608000657674849Wed, 20 May 2026 17:08:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 17:05:33 GMT]]>@cwebber Apparently this is Coming Soon(tm)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/z3r0fox/statuses/116607990743135979https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/z3r0fox/statuses/116607990743135979Wed, 20 May 2026 17:05:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 17:03:18 GMT]]>@cwebber I use signal-cli (https://github.com/AsamK/signal-cli) unofficial signal client to register the account, and act as the main client.
And then I link it to the official signal desktop application so that it is not all cli.

It is annoying to setup, cause, captchas, and pasting URL into the cli client to link them. but works.

EDIT: And to add to the annoyance, signal expects that you open the main client often so you need to open the cli client and fetch messages like once a week. pfff....

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.coletivos.org/users/maryjane/statuses/116607981867793038https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.coletivos.org/users/maryjane/statuses/116607981867793038Wed, 20 May 2026 17:03:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 17:02:55 GMT]]>@olasd I'm okay with needing the phone number even if I don't prefer it, but I don't want to have to use one of "the two mobile platforms"

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.coop/users/cwebber/statuses/116607980367576561https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.coop/users/cwebber/statuses/116607980367576561Wed, 20 May 2026 17:02:55 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 17:02:05 GMT]]>@cwebber if you find out I'd love to know.

Right now I feel like all phones have to either run android or run iOS and there aren't any other options that I know of in the US.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://eldritch.cafe/users/RoseRaven/statuses/116607977088039674https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://eldritch.cafe/users/RoseRaven/statuses/116607977088039674Wed, 20 May 2026 17:02:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 17:01:51 GMT]]>@cwebber I am very much interested in this as well. Signal keeps me tethered to a smartphone in a way I'm hoping to avoid.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://explains.social/users/veronica/statuses/01KS35C9P73PMDVWPRBY7YTHRShttps://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://explains.social/users/veronica/statuses/01KS35C9P73PMDVWPRBY7YTHRSWed, 20 May 2026 17:01:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 16:59:13 GMT]]>@cwebber (you still need a phone number and to interact with recaptcha for the account creation, afaik there's no way around it)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.opportunis.me/users/olasd/statuses/116607965835699968https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.opportunis.me/users/olasd/statuses/116607965835699968Wed, 20 May 2026 16:59:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 16:58:19 GMT]]>@onni @cwebber I need to regularly reauthorize my Signal desktop app (on Linux) which takes my Android phone as the source of truth. I have installed Signal on my e/OS phone, but haven't gotten around to moving my sim and backup over. I think Signal will work there. ๐Ÿคž

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/fschaap/statuses/116607962261293041https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/fschaap/statuses/116607962261293041Wed, 20 May 2026 16:58:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 16:57:58 GMT]]>@onni @cwebber Desktop app does not meet constraint. Per the website: To use the Signal desktop app, Signal must first be installed on your phone.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tenforward.social/users/nivex/statuses/116607960909080232https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tenforward.social/users/nivex/statuses/116607960909080232Wed, 20 May 2026 16:57:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 16:57:50 GMT]]>Christine Lemmer-Webber Good question, I never realized that tbh. I've had Android devices since... well, basically forever.

That period is probably ending this year, when Fairphone stops its support for the 4. I want to switch to something else, probably Ubuntu Touch.

Never realised Signal could become a challenge then. Sure, I use Signal primarily from within Element, using a bridge, but every now and then I need "the real thing".

Going to follow this thread ๐Ÿ‘๏ธ]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.woefdram.nl/item/3463d748-37a2-4754-a782-7951211d4ad2https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.woefdram.nl/item/3463d748-37a2-4754-a782-7951211d4ad2Wed, 20 May 2026 16:57:50 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 16:57:21 GMT]]>@cwebber I've helped my partner set up https://github.com/AsamK/signal-cli and we've been using it for a couple of years now with almost no issues. (signal-cli receive is running as a cronjob on their laptop). We missed an update to the protocol/cli a couple of months back and had to do the account enrollment again, but we did it within a couple of days so group memberships hadn't lapsed and it ended up being quasi transparent

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.opportunis.me/users/olasd/statuses/116607958484012443https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.opportunis.me/users/olasd/statuses/116607958484012443Wed, 20 May 2026 16:57:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 16:55:43 GMT]]>@cwebber

I'd love to know how. I've certainly tried. I'd love to be able to just run desktop signal without the drawer full of old phones that I need to turn on every 90 days to keep the accounts running.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.hackers.town/users/lordbowlich/statuses/116607952073264317https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.hackers.town/users/lordbowlich/statuses/116607952073264317Wed, 20 May 2026 16:55:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 16:55:16 GMT]]>@cwebber@social.coop Grok: VibeCode a MollyonEsp app.]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://no-pony.farm/users/Life_is/statuses/116607950314948786https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://no-pony.farm/users/Life_is/statuses/116607950314948786Wed, 20 May 2026 16:55:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There is really only one thing keeping me tied to Google stuff: the fact that I don't really know how to use Signal without having an Android'y device. on Wed, 20 May 2026 16:53:26 GMT]]>@cwebber Signal is working on Desktop too, maye that's a workaround (but not a very flexible mobile one)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://troet.cafe/users/onni/statuses/116607943102022864https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://troet.cafe/users/onni/statuses/116607943102022864Wed, 20 May 2026 16:53:26 GMT