About a decade ago, Apple actually provided the metadata of the iMessage conversation to the FBI!
You could always use iMessage on a secondary device like an iPad.
This is pretty common.
Every time you type a number into your iPhone for a text conversation, the Messages app contacts Apple servers…Apple records each query in which your phone calls home to see who’s in the iMessage system and who’s not.
Apple is is compelled to turn over such information via court orders known as “pen registers” or “trap and trace devices”
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Are you surprised that they comply with subpoenas?
In the face of Apple’s privacy claims, maybe. They collect data at every opportunity while positioning themselves as a privacy first option. Their marketing isn’t accurate or truthful.
Apple refuses to break encryption in cases of national interest then quietly hand over everything in the next one. They go whicheverway the wind is blowingand can’t be trusted.
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Yes and no. Apple does market itself as a champion for privacy.
Installing Signal is such an easy things to do, that I would consider the people who can’t be convinced to do so, are not trustworthy to share high sensitive information anyway.
So you might just chat with them over SMS.
And that also the point why its not such a big thing to chat with them over SMS, compared to the fact that they use a proprietary operating.
I’ve used this for the past few months. It’s solid.
Kind of strange “incident” they had a few weeks ago with data corruption, forcing you to reconnect the device to a Mac. Also, kind of weird that you can’t really export your connection with said Mac so that you can factory reset your phone and then get iMessage working again by just importing the backup.
Aside from that, pretty solid.
SMS is completely unencrypted, it’s an objectively worse option.
The operating system being proprietary doesn’t suddenly mean you should start using unencrypted SMS. Would it be nice if Apple open sourced their operating systems? Of course, but you’re throwing the baby out with the bathwater here. Soon there will be default E2EE RCS messaging anyway so you can use that instead of SMS.
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Or just not chat with them at all. I think using unencrypted Facebook Messenger would genuinely be a better option than SMS tbh. If someone is unwilling to communicate with me using anything other than SMS they aren’t worth talking to IMO.
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Facebook Messenger actually supports E2EE and they’re in the process of making it the default.
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It is possible to manually encrypt the contents of an SMS message if you were desperate. Big Brother would flag anyone who does that for manual revew. I started experimenting with these methods just in case. They can ban encrypted messaging services but not free software.
Zimmermann challenged these regulations in an imaginative way. In 1995, he published the entire source code of PGP in a hardback book,[34] via MIT Press, which was distributed and sold widely. Anybody wishing to build their own copy of PGP could cut off the covers, separate the pages, and scan them using an OCR program (or conceivably enter it as a type-in program if OCR software was not available), creating a set of source code text files. One could then build the application using the freely available GNU Compiler Collection. PGP would thus be available anywhere in the world. The claimed principle was simple: export of munitions—guns, bombs, planes, and software—was (and remains) restricted; but the export of books is protected by the First Amendment.
If the person you’re conversing with isn’t willing to use Signal they’re not going to use PGP over SMS either though (and PGP is still less secure than Signal even if they did)
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I know but it’s a good way to let someone know they’re missing out. Send a gift voucher they can only redeem by installing OpenKeychain 
I would migrate to GrapheneOS ASAP and spread the word about Signal and the need for privacy and open protocols. Signal is free to use, so there is no reason for your friends not to install it even if it’s just to text you.
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Yes
I didn’t say you should use SMS because you use Apple.
I say that you shouldn’t stay on a proprietary operating system to avoid chatting with people over SMS that are to lazy to make the few clicks to install Signal.
If they are of such a weak character, you can talk with them over SMS because you shouldn’t share secret information with people of weak character even if its over encrypted messaging.
Or just use Signal/SimpleX
We should be thankful that we have such an easy method to detect low quality people/relationships.
If they aren’t willing to make the few clicks for you, then its a waste of time to communicate with them
This is sad but true. It also works in reverse. Why can’t you put your principles aside and install WhatsApp for me? We know the reason but they don’t. Thus we seem unreasonable.
Principles >>> Literally less then 5 minutes of time to install Signal/SimpleX and register the phone number, if you use SimpleX then it even faster cause you could skip the phone number step)
But WhatsApp would still be better then SMS and if the are on iOS, you need to trust big tech anyway.
But if they refuse to instal WhatsApp or Signal or SimpleX and just don’t care enough about you to do anything, then its probably better to screw these people
In my scenario we are enlightened Signal users and they are WhatsApp drones attempting to sway us to the proprietary side. They can easily use emotional pleading against us. I agree that someone who refuses to install Signal isn’t a good friend but that isn’t enough sometimes. The decision must be based in pragmatism. They already have WhatsApp, which is a hurdle to overcome. Saying ‘I can’t compromise for you’ works both ways. We know it’s in their interest but our friend’s don’t. They have been conditioned to accept whatever is mainstream. Signal is scary.
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I actually find WhatsApp much more acceptable then SMS (which is unencrypted) or even worse iMessage, which only runs on proprietary operating system`s.