Yup, I was on an international trip with hardly any data allowance when all of a sudden my messages stopped sending, and I couldn't receive any new ones... That'll never happen with SMS. I love Signal, but some of their product decisions have been questionable.
Their decisions seem right for the use case of a secure messaging app, but I don't care about that use case and would rather use a non-e2ee app that'll be reliable, not lock me out, and work seamlessly across devices. Also, for those who truly care about e2ee, it's pointless if you aren't checking all the safety numbers out-of-band.
Yes, this is a compromise on the CIA triad. It prefers integrity and confidentiality over availability.
That is a fine decision to make for a security-minded app, but signal has always presented themselves as a full alternative to SMS and other messaging systems where availability is prioritized over confidentiality and integrity. It should really be made more clear so that users are making an informed decision. They could also do wonders for the user experience by having the app inform the user of the problem and how to remedy it.
Yeah, but I wouldn't call SMS super available either since it relies a lot on the ends too. Had a lot of those drop when I traveled. Something like Facebook Messenger has a whole server storing messages, so it's solid, you'll receive them later even if your phone breaks.
