#DeltaChat breaks the one app, one ID rule of phone-number-based apps by supporting multiple chat profiles. This allows for true private messaging where you can keep a public identity for the Web or Fediverse separate from a private one for family and friends. Managing multiple selves is a new experience for many, but it is key to digital autonomy. We are working to make multi-profile handling even smoother in upcoming releases to ensure switching contexts is seamless. (3/3)
Discussion
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@delta bashing other projects while clearly not really knowing how they work is a bit awkward, don't you think?
@lambda could you expand what you consider bashing here? It should be fine to point out differences in architectures and how identities are handled in messaging systems, no?
@delta yes, but throwing matrix in the same bucket as signal and implying it's a "platform in the classic sense" is a bit misleading, no? Sure, Delta/Chatmail are even less centralised, but there's a world of difference between "you need to sign up to the central service with your phone number" and "you can run your server completely yourself and still talk to everyone without ever creating an account anywhere else"
@lambda fair enough. But the focus here was on where user identities are hosted and controlled. A chosen Matrix server is similar to the non-choosable signal servers in that it controls access and use of a user identity. In our designs, user identities reside solely on end-user devices. A group chat only exists on the member's devices and no where else.
@Delta Chat Your own product is always praised and highlighted. Of course that's important.
But if there are gaps or shortcomings, you shouldn't always leave it to the “reviewers.”
Say what works, what's great, but also what doesn't work and where the pitfalls are.
People will find out in the end anyway.
Why not be upfront about it from the start?
@ulrich If you look at our responses, we are up-front about calls support not being production ready. Or that getting in contact is harder. But it should also be fine to have a post about fundamental architectural differences, which is one of many ways to discuss messengers. We are basically pointing out that even decentralized offerings can still, after the initial choice is made, have users depend on a single server for using an identity.
@delta I trust only decentralized messengers without providing personal information and without dubious permissions
The total privacy of #DeltaChat has a trade-off: there is no global directory. Connecting for private messaging requires a direct QR scan or using an existing channel to exchange invite links. The hurdle is often the readiness of friends, family, or those around you to switch. However, once connected, the app is an enjoyable daily driver. It is about moving to a space where you cannot be found by strangers, but can still enjoy modern, reliable chat with those who matter. ... (2/3)
@delta I understood that those with an e-mail address on their own domain can easily set up chatmail on their own domain. That is how it seems to work for me. I have been 'chatting' through e-mail without the recipients aware of what I was doing.
That is how it is supposed to work, right?
@rrustema yes, you can use dedicated mail boxes on your own server and it works with chatmail relays and other email servers. Proper TLS and dkim is needed, typically.
@delta
i would love to get my friends and familly to Delta but they are locked in the WhatsApp Prison 😭
#DeltaChat breaks the one app, one ID rule of phone-number-based apps by supporting multiple chat profiles. This allows for true private messaging where you can keep a public identity for the Web or Fediverse separate from a private one for family and friends. Managing multiple selves is a new experience for many, but it is key to digital autonomy. We are working to make multi-profile handling even smoother in upcoming releases to ensure switching contexts is seamless. (3/3)
@delta you lost me with multiple selves
@nathanael maybe think of it like having a 'Work Phone' and a 'Personal Phone'—but inside one app. You can have one profile for the public web or your job, and a completely separate one for your close family and friends. This way, your work contacts don't see your personal profile picture, and random people from the web or your job can't interrupt your family time (Profiles can be wholly muted).
@delta @nathanael how will phone call will be managed if let's say, my familly profile receive a call, when i'm on the friend profile ?
@delta In some way its for the better, I have full control over who I chat with. It reminds me of the gold old Windows Live Messenger where you need your friend Windows Live ID in order to send him a request.
@delta right now i try to find a good method to decide whether to go for #deltachat or #jami . the included video chat in Jami is definitely good to have. Anyone already compared those two ?
@delta but matrix works without the central en identity server, i never opted in for that and can use it fine. Which features do you lose there that deltachat does have?
(Love deltachat btw)
@wmd thanks :) With Matrix, you have free choice of server (unlike with Signal), but afterwards the selected server becomes an identity host, and controls access. It also manages membership in groups, for which metadata is stored on the server. Chatmail relays do none of that. They just relay encrypted messages, and forget about them soon afterwards.
@delta@chaos.social only thing keeping me from using delta regularly is calling support. How is the experimental p2p calling going forward?
@Stomata it's improved in every release but still some time before it can be enabled by default, and be as usable and robust as we want it to be.
@delta There are only a few messengers which support multiple chat profiles,it is a nice thing to have!
