Gregory's Server
Signal disappearing messages PSA
The timer on the receiving phone doesn’t start when the message is sent, but when the message is read.
So if for example the person you’re messaging doesn’t read their messages for days or weeks for some reason, they will still be able to read all of them.
This could be vital information for certain situations (for example when someone’s turned off phone might get into the hands of someone you’d rather not want to have that information).
Please don’t assume that messages you send will always have disappeared for everyone receiving them after the time sent (or received even) + the timer
(maybe unless you know everyone read it right away)
Reading the notification also doesn’t count as reading the message btw (haven’t tested this out yet but others have said that and it makes sense to me)
Signal disappearing messages PSA
The timer on the receiving phone doesn’t start when the message is sent, but when the message is read.
So if for example the person you’re messaging doesn’t read their messages for days or weeks for some reason, they will still be able to read all of them.
This could be vital information for certain situations (for example when someone’s turned off phone might get into the hands of someone you’d rather not want to have that information).
@enby_of_the_apocalypse apps like Keybase do the one where the message being sent is when the timer starts, if people are looking for alternatives.
@enby_of_the_apocalypse The recipient can also change the timer or remove it before it expires. This is documented, and a reminder that this is a choice that relies on cooperation, and inappropriate in an adversarial context. Or indeed one with differing objectives.
@enby_of_the_apocalypse yep this isn't good. Someone should experiment with making e2ee chat apps with thinner clients where messages can be deleted before they arrive