Ungoogled Telegram and Signal

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Mercurygram worked great thanks to our beloved @Licaon_Kter but now since Mercurygram and telegram foss are out of development, there are many tg forks online. But only forkgram is listed on fdroid. Is forkgram really foss like Mercurygram and tg foss without any google shit? I couldn’t find any info about it so asking here. Does one need to register first using the tg app from their website and then relogin using forkgram or is registration possible through forkgram?

Molly FOSS is the most famous signal fork and is available on fdroid. Can one register for a new account usint molly foss or do we need to regsiter using their official app initially?

Update about Molly
Upon installation first it wanted me to allow connection to amazon under essential tab in trackercontrol. Then it wanted me to enable android webview to prove that i am not a robot and in the end it wanted me to approve another tracker from intuitionmachines to display that captcha to prove that I am not a robot. It says FOSS but doesn’t act like so.
Update 1
Testing further in some device. If registration is done by accepting the trackers above, now it lists trackers from google and microsoft under essential trackers.

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it won’t be included if not

as Telegram masters want, yes

nope

:person_shrugging:

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I just checked, last update of forkgram on fdroid is of 2024 whereas github has latest uptodate versions. Why so? Is it possible to create a new account using forkgram or do we need the official apk?

I didn’t try forkgram but molly. Molly is asking for those permissions. So, in a way signal is phoning all those companies?

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I see April 2025, what do you mean? Forkgram | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository

no, you need the official one

Signal uses Amazon, Microsoft and Google servers, but you knew that, right?

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Thanks. Sorry for the error on my part about forkgrams version.

Does tg too used big tech like signal? Unfortunately it is very hard to get people on using decentralized apps.

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no one knows, but what we know is that 99.9999% of messages are unencrypted and stuff is horrible

What’s so hard about Quicksy?

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Quicksy is fairly easy.

Conversations and Simplex are also decentralized

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Tg is only good for entertainment groups where shows from netflix, prime are uploaded and nothing else.

Nothing is hard about quicksy but it is hard to get people from whatsapp, imessages to even signal. Apps like quicksy are too complicated for them.

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sounds like you never used Quicksy…

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I agree but hard to get people om board on platforms like this.

Man I have read mixed reviews about simplex and session. Are you sure about simplex?

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Read “them” in my last reply. While it is true that I have not used quicksy, installed and checking side by side. But it is hard to get people in my group to even on signal. Quicksy etc.will be too complicated for them, not me. This happens when most don’t carw about privacy.

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again, since you did not test, there’s little point in saying anything about it

I’ll quote myself from elsewhere:

Better think of it like this:

  • Saying you like FOSS yet use Telegram or Signal you keep saying to your friends that: “you should use <closed silo/software>, I’m just quirky and odd”
  • Every day you are still a silo user you keep your friends prisoners too!
  • If you don’t stand up for your principles, why should your friends?

Like RMS says, every “NO” helps: Saying No to unjust computing even once is help - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation

Say NO to silos!

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I couldn’t agree more with you. But you will also agree that signal is better than whatsapp or imessage. Atleast some are shifting to signal now, maybe someday they will to a decentralized app.
About tg, it is not to stay connected with anyone but just to watch free shows from nflx etc.

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that’s why you don’t move from a silo to another silo

you move directly to a FOSS federated decentralized ecosystem

ref: WhatsApp and the domestication of users - Seirdy

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Whats the point of having a foss decentralized app if noone is gonna be on the other side to exchange messages? Atleast people in my group, some, are shifting to signal. They will take their time to lean and maybe shift to a decentralized platform one day. There is no point in forcing them to do it right away.
Apart from this I totally agree with you.

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what’s the point of whatsapp/discord/telegram ? there had no users at start too, right? They should be dead by your logic, no?

people use apps based on OTHER USERS, not on the tech or the letter it begins with

the issue here is YOU not the tech

they won’t install another apps BECAUSE YOU DON’T

you need to be the network effect

you need to be the peer pressure

it’s all on YOU

read the link above…again…

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look, maybe the current situation is not your fault

I’m just saying that the fix is in your hands

be the change you want to see in the world :wink:

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I have read reviews of Session that make me not want to use it either. I haven’t read anything so negative about SimpleX that would make me not use it, but I do not use it myself.

This is a recent audit of SimpleX.

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I see on F-Droid that Telegram-FOSS has not been updated in 10 months, so dating back to 2024!

I assume this project has been abandoned now?
Is it still usable?

Now this brings me onto Forkgram - is this truly FOSS?
Im under the impression it is not?

Also how trust worthy would it be to use with your log in credentials.

Obviously not using Telegram would be the best option, but for now, unfortunately it is needed temporarily.

Don’t really want to go the play store route again, but if needs must …

Any replies/discussion would be appreciated.

Thankyou

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It just got an update on f-droid. Also, to answer it is not completely free. You will be seeing a info,/warning on the app page.