Yes, you can use Signal without sharing your personal phone number. Here’s how I did it.

  • ambitiousslab@lemmy.ml
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    4 months ago

    How I Got a Truly Anonymous XMPP Account:

    • Open my client (e.g. Conversations, Monal, Dino)
    • Pick a random server, username and password
    • Click register

    Sorry, it’s a cheap joke, but it still baffles me that Signal requires a phone number, so I felt I had to post it :)

    Of course, this is not XMPP-specific either, just my protocol of choice, there are many other open alternatives that also offer such functionality.

    • merde alors@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      and then you can anonymously chat with yourself because no one else will bother installing that favorite app of yours!

      I’ve been trying to get people off WhatsApp for who knows how many years now. With Signal, i have a chance of convincing people. When you start talking about matrix or session or SimpleX or ???, people stay on WhatsApp

      • ambitiousslab@lemmy.ml
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        4 months ago

        Different strokes for different folks! I’ve been fortunate enough that many of my family and friends have been happy enough to follow me.

        But I don’t disagree with you, Signal has a much more recognisable brand and better user experience. These are things that we need to improve if we’re going to get anywhere near the level of adoption Signal has.

    • EngineerGaming@feddit.nl
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      4 months ago

      And - gasp! - you can do it from your computer directly! No Android emulators, no inconvenient command-line client!