Why Even Signal Calls Apple & Google
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I just wanted Zulip notifications on my phone. So I started building something myself - and fell into a rabbit hole. This talk tells the...

I just started my de-googling journey recently, and so the mechanics of notifications were still unclear to me, and I found this video super helpful.

It explains how most mobile messaging apps (including privacy-focused ones like Signal) rely on Google and Apple’s centralized servers to deliver push notifications, which exposes vast amounts of user metadata.

Here’s the YT link, for people who prefer it: https://youtu.be/c3ennD3wKn0

  • Voxel@feddit.uk
    1·
    2 days ago

    I’m tired of having to correct people, but I will do it anyway.

    Disagree, it serves to illustrate the same kind of monopoly google has one push notifications.

    This is wrong. If you look up the definition for monopoly, you will realize it is false. At worst, it’s a duopoly. If we exclude Huaweii Push, etc.

    UnifiedPush is not a push service, it is a distributor. It is a proxy for push services, it does not send out its own notifications.

    That is also wrong. Idk how you got the idea of it being a “proxy”.

    “UnifiedPush is a decentralized push notification system that lets you choose the service you want to use. It’s designed to be privacy-friendly, flexible, and open — making it perfect if you want control over your push notifications.”

    https://unifiedpush.org/