Recently discovered this. Molly supports link with existing device just like on signal desktop. It even has benefit of getting entire chat history unlike signal desktop. Just restore the signal backup file during setup and then click link with existing device. Then scan with you primary phone. Beauty of open source. Molly: https://molly.im/
Molly now merged the long-awaited UnifiedPush feature that Signal refuses. This means the notifications go thru my server instead of Google’s.
That said, I hate the entire concept of only allowing one Android device but also requiring an Android device with a SIM or you get no service. iOS is also supported but feeds into that duopoly, requirements to have a phone, & the freedom use whatever devices you want how you want.
I would prefer XMPP, but I have too many folks that refuse to move from Signal despite the conspiracies.
My too many folks are on Facebook messenger, Whatsapp, and telegram. 'and' not 'or'…
I got a chunk of friends & family to Signal a couple years back. Now I have some regrets due to the architectural decisions of the Signal ecosystem (and that battery drain + Electron app being huge). I wish I had had resources for an XMPP server as even a lazy person could run Snikket, but now they don’t want to remigrate after on a few years.
I'm in the same boat. To be frank, if I didn't have to use WhatsApp to talk to those in my family that remain in my motherland, I would be more than happy to get a simple dunbphone.
Yea, the mobile device requirement is so pointless and annoying! I have to use Signal with only a couple of people and had to use signal-cli, which is pretty annoying because it doesn't display history. Now I have it on Waydroid, but you should NOT have to do that.