Signal-FOSS icon
Signal-FOSS icon

Signal-FOSS

A fork of Signal for Android with proprietary Google binary blobs removed. Uses OpenStreetMap for maps and a websocket server connection, instead of Google Maps and Firebase Cloud Messaging.

Signal-FOSS screenshot 1
Signal-FOSS screenshot 2
+6
Signal-FOSS screenshot 3

Cost / License

Application type

Platforms

  • Android
  • F-Droid
Signal-FOSS alternatives  
3likes
51alternatives
0articles

Features

Properties

  1.  Privacy focused
  2.  Security-focused

Features

  1.  End-to-End Encryption
  2.  No Tracking
  3.  Cloud Sync
  4.  Screen Sharing
  5.  Ad-free
  6.  Works Offline
  7.  Dark Mode
  8.  VoiP Calls
  9.  Support for @mentions
  10.  Full-Text Search
  11.  Private messaging
  12.  Encrypted Chat
  13.  GPLv3
  14.  Secure Chat
  15.  Video Calling
  16.  Based on phone number
  17.  File Sending
  18.  Source code history
  19.  Voice messages
  20.  Stickers
  21.  Team Collaboration
  22.  Integrated File Sharing
  23.  Encrypted VoIP calls
  24.  Protected by Password
  25.  Mobile friendly
  26.  Client side encryption
  27.  Voice Chat
  28.  Forward Secrecy
  29.  International Numbers
  30.  Encrypted calls
  31.  Encrypted Connection

 Tags

Signal-FOSS News & Activities

Highlights All activities

Recent activities

  • LinuxDoge updated Signal-FOSS
  • LinuxDoge reviewed Signal-FOSS  

    Awesome underdog project! Signal should make this on their own. It adds a few basic patches on top of Signal, either fully or mostly automatic, so you get very fast updates and no proprietary Google blobs! Just works, nothing fancy. Molly has way slower updated while theoretically being nicer

  • LinuxDoge liked Signal-FOSS

Signal-FOSS information

AlternativeTo Categories

Social & Communications, Remote Work & Education, Security & Privacy, Office & Productivity, File Sharing

GitHub repository

  •  180 Stars
  •  10 Forks
  •  0 Open Issues
  •   Updated  
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Our users have written 1 comments and reviews about Signal-FOSS, and it has gotten 3 likes

Signal-FOSS was added to AlternativeTo by QuestioningEspecialy on and this page was last updated .

Comments and Reviews

   
Top Positive Comment
LinuxDoge
0

Awesome underdog project! Signal should make this on their own. It adds a few basic patches on top of Signal, either fully or mostly automatic, so you get very fast updates and no proprietary Google blobs! Just works, nothing fancy. Molly has way slower updated while theoretically being nicer

Official Links

AppStores & Other Links

What is Signal-FOSS?

Patches to Signal for Android removing dependencies on closed-source Google Mobile Services and Firebase libraries. In branches whose names include "-FOSS". Uses new "foss" or "gms" flavor dimension: build with "./gradlew assemblePlayFossProdRelease".

DISCLAIMER: You might want to consider the officially supported APK download from Signal if you don't mind proprietary dependencies. This is an unofficial client with no guarantees of timely (or any) updates. It's licensed under GPL3, like Signal, meaning it has no warranty and you use it at your own risk. Signal is a registered trademark of the Signal Foundation in the USA. This connects to Signal's servers, all terms from their Privacy Policy apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Isn't Signal for Android open source? Not entirely. All official APKs include multiple closed source Google dependencies including Firebase Cloud Messaging (for notifications), Maps, Authentication and (since v5.24.15) Wallet/Payments. See the app/build.gradle file in Signal's source, or search the codebase for for any imports of com.google.android.gms or com.google.firebase - these two links search the whole Signal codebase for files that import those dependencies.

  • What's the difference between this and official Signal for Android? -Updates: Via F-Droid Repo vs Via Google Play -Notifications: Websocket to Signal server vs Firebase Cloud Messaging if installed, otherwise websocket -Maps: OpenStreetMap vs Google Maps -Donations: Not supported in-app vs Google Wallet/Payments A websocket connection often uses slightly more battery than Firebase Cloud Messaging, which the official client uses for message notification pings. Maps and in-app Donations in both official builds only work on devices with Google Apps (GAPPS) installed, otherwise the map is blank.

Signal versions 4.61.4 - 5.3.7 included Firebase ML Vision for facial recognition; this was replaced in 5.3.8 with Android's inbuilt support.

  • Does GPS work? GPS works for maps, but can be slow on phones without Google's location services installed; consider waiting a while, or installing another location provider to accelerate GPS locks like UnifiedNLP.