this post was submitted on 12 Oct 2023
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Pressure grows on Apple to open up iMessage::Samsung has joined Google’s campaign to force Apple to make iMessage RCS-compatible—but European regulators are more likely to get that job done.

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[–] machinin@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I tried to use it a few months ago. It would not let me use it unless I gave it access to all my contacts' information. I denied the permission request and it wouldn't work.

How in the hell are you okay with that?

[–] AzureFrost@lemmy.one 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm pretty sure the stock SMS app that comes with your phone also needs access to the contacts permissions, but is enabled by default, so the app doesn't even ask for it.

[–] machinin@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

So in addition to that, why give the information to Facebook too?

Remember, Zuckerberg thinks people are dumbfucks for giving information to him.

Why do they go out of their way to disable the app if I deny access to contacts? Surely it would be less work to just add a couple of warnings telling me it may not work properly. But to disable the whole app? That is absolutely ridiculous.

[–] NuPNuA@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because that's how phones work, it links your account to your phone number and uses your contacts to tell you who's on the app too using their numbers.

[–] machinin@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because that's how -phones- Whatsapp works,

Yeah, that is also how computer viruses work. I was very thankful for permission control. That app is cancer.

[–] NuPNuA@lemm.ee -2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Meh, I think some people are just paranoid on Lemmy when it comes to stuff like this. There's plenty of laws in the UK around storage and use of information that protect users of apps like this.

[–] machinin@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If it's so benign, why make it necessary to give all the information about all your contacts to the app?

To paraphrase Zuckerberg, "people are dumbfucks for giving me so much information."

[–] NuPNuA@lemm.ee -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How else do you think a messaging app that replaces your phones messaging functionality is supposed to work if not on phone numbers?

[–] machinin@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So you're saying that the only way a messaging app can work is to access all the information from all your contacts? If it doesn't have all that information, it can't work? If Whatsapp can't have all that information, it would be impossible to function?

[–] NuPNuA@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No, it's fully possible to have its own account and log in system, but that adds a layer of abstraction that makes it harder to sell to people as a replacement for their inbuilt messaging apps which just require a phone number.

[–] machinin@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

If you give Facebook any benefit of the doubt in relation to privacy concerns, I guess I can only believe Zuckerberg to be correct.

[–] timetraveller@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

And all thieves pay close attention to laws, and make sure their apps have "nothing" hidden in the folds.

[–] jose1324@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How do you think phone number based chat apps works bro?

[–] machinin@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Give me the option to add contacts individually?

That app is cancer, better just to nope out of the installation.