<![CDATA[Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch?]]>Hello Everyone, Im Aaron.

I used to do app development for UT during covid and helped to make apps like Gem or WaydroidHelper. Ive recently been tinkering with UT again and am interested into doing some stuff again.

I was mainly wondering whether there have been any attempts to bring signal-CLI to UT as I think it would be a great addition to the ecosystem. SailfishOS has set the example with WhisperFish. Since Axolotl is no more and Signal has no WebUI there is currently no good way to use it on UT apart from Waydoid which comes with its own drawbacks.

What are your thoughts on this?

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/topic/11286/signal-cli-on-ubuntu-touchRSS for NodeMon, 20 Apr 2026 22:01:01 GMTWed, 27 Aug 2025 13:11:56 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Fri, 24 Oct 2025 17:31:45 GMT]]>@aarontheissueguy

You should definitely see this post, I really think signal-desktop is the way to go:

https://forums.ubports.com/topic/11532/signal-ut-signal-desktop-for-ubuntu-touch

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89566https://forums.ubports.com/post/89566Fri, 24 Oct 2025 17:31:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Sat, 18 Oct 2025 19:07:06 GMT]]>@aarontheissueguy
I ask, because I would ask Signal, if there want to bring Ubuntu Touch forwards and create a version for it.
AppLee told me, there reject to do it, but it was a while ago. So there is nothing to loose to give them another try.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89337https://forums.ubports.com/post/89337Sat, 18 Oct 2025 19:07:06 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Sat, 18 Oct 2025 19:02:23 GMT]]>@pparent My main goal would be to package signal-cli for using your UT phone as primary device. Anything else is not really in my scope.

Porting and altering an application like Signal Desktop would also add a bunch of complexity and would change the approach completely.

I read that you can now install snaps on UT, perhaps ill package my project as a snap that would make it less tied to Ubuntu Touch and would probably make development much easier.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89336https://forums.ubports.com/post/89336Sat, 18 Oct 2025 19:02:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Sat, 18 Oct 2025 15:16:32 GMT]]>@aarontheissueguy

But what do you think about basing a solution on a custom build of signal-desktop?

Because this seems to me the most promising way it have it running (Especially with upcoming Wayland-compatible Mir2.0), and I might give it a try when I have time.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89325https://forums.ubports.com/post/89325Sat, 18 Oct 2025 15:16:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Sat, 18 Oct 2025 14:02:22 GMT]]>@bunt7 So unfortunately I still don't have a functional Fairphone. It's been two months and Fairphone support has been dead silent apart from bot mails.
According to some Fairphone forum user, the support at Fairphone has basically been non-existent since January. I don't know what that tells you about the state of a company. I'm honestly quite shocked, considering their mission to make long-lasting phones.

I think I might be able to send it to Murena for Reflashing. Once I get it back, I will start development.

I wont give any ETA here, It will probably still take a few months until i can present anything usable.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89321https://forums.ubports.com/post/89321Sat, 18 Oct 2025 14:02:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Fri, 17 Oct 2025 10:12:46 GMT]]>@arubislander Thanks arubislander and pparent, it helps me to get an more differentiated view on the subject.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89279https://forums.ubports.com/post/89279Fri, 17 Oct 2025 10:12:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:37:35 GMT]]>@pparent You are preaching to the choir. I think you meant to reply to @bunt7

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89242https://forums.ubports.com/post/89242Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:37:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:01:09 GMT]]>@arubislander

By the way signal itself is hosted on github, it does not give microsoft any power over Signal. And in case of a problem it could switch to gitlab or anything else overnight.

Think of GitHub as some could storage for code. (But Microsoft cannot change the code without being detected immediately, because developers keep copies of the code on their machines)

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89235https://forums.ubports.com/post/89235Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:01:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Thu, 16 Oct 2025 07:45:22 GMT]]>@bunt7 Not sure what MS being the owner of the source forge (GitHub in this case) has to do with the code hosted on there. It is not as if they are going to inject nefarious code during the build process.

At most the author might object to their code being used for machine learning. But that does not affect you as a user of the app in the least.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89227https://forums.ubports.com/post/89227Thu, 16 Oct 2025 07:45:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Thu, 16 Oct 2025 07:27:48 GMT]]>The thing was, that I just switched to Ubuntu touch and wanted to keep using "simple calendar" on it, because I really like it.

But briefly I read, that microsoft is unfortunately the owner of github for view years now. And the "simple calendar" is from github.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89226https://forums.ubports.com/post/89226Thu, 16 Oct 2025 07:27:48 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Thu, 16 Oct 2025 07:03:07 GMT]]>sorry, I muddelt it up with github.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89223https://forums.ubports.com/post/89223Thu, 16 Oct 2025 07:03:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:55:23 GMT]]>I will check it, maybe I mixed somthing up. I will prove it an answer soon

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89221https://forums.ubports.com/post/89221Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:55:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:51:09 GMT]]>@bunt7 said in Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch?:

this is, what I reed about waydroid

That is interesting, can you tell us where you read that?

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89220https://forums.ubports.com/post/89220Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:51:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:32:57 GMT]]>Hallo Aarontheissueguy,

how far you are with the development of a Signalapp?

If it is not possible, I would write to Signal itself and ask them, if there want to support Ubuntu touch and create a version for it.

The next question would be, if it wished from the community or the foundation, that I do that?

The thing for me is, that waydriod get more and more controlled by microsoft*, so have not a good feeling to use molly in long therm via waydroid.

  • this is, what I reed about waydroid
]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/89219https://forums.ubports.com/post/89219Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:32:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:56:12 GMT]]>@pparent In the real world, I'd be happy about any native Signal app for UT, be it secondary, primary or both.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/88778https://forums.ubports.com/post/88778Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:56:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:56:04 GMT]]>@Moem

In pratice I get this warning but nothing happens if you don't open it (at least for me). It has been months that I haven't opened the main device and everything works well.

The thing is that we can never hope to have a main device client that is reliable and with all features, if it is not official. Official support will not happen for UT in any forseeable future. And any unofficial client risks to end up in broken and unusable acvounts as it happened many times with axolotl.

And let's be realistic features like calls could possibly work one day with a customized build signal-desktop , but will likely never work with a custom client form scratch or based on signal-cli.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/88777https://forums.ubports.com/post/88777Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:56:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:49:07 GMT]]>@pparent I know. Every month or so, it apparently needs to be opened in order to stay active. Or so it tells me.
But even so, I'd prefer not to need Waydroid at all and Signal is the only thing I use it for.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/88776https://forums.ubports.com/post/88776Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:49:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:46:57 GMT]]>@Moem

But you don't have to actively run it. Actually I use signal everyday only on signal-desktop and molly as a secondary device, and the main account is on an old device that I never turn on, it works well.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/88775https://forums.ubports.com/post/88775Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:46:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:39:33 GMT]]>@pparent said in Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch?:

What is the advantage to run it as a primary device?

To me: being able to dump Waydroid. 😸

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/88773https://forums.ubports.com/post/88773Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:39:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:17:46 GMT]]>@Moem

I would be more than happy to have a secondary device client. I would even say that I prefer a secondary device client. Because being an unofficial client to me this is to risky to let it handle the primary account, because if it fails it can also mess up my PC install ( as a secondary device )

Then you run the primary device in Waydroid or on a separate Android device.

What is the advantage to run it as a primary device?

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/88770https://forums.ubports.com/post/88770Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:17:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:09:15 GMT]]>@pparent said in Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch?:

we could simply adapt Signal-Desktop interface for mobile screen, and it could offer a nice solution for Signal on UT.

Sure, but that's only a secondary device, so we'd still need a primary...

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/88769https://forums.ubports.com/post/88769Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:09:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:03:11 GMT]]>By the way I wonder if with Mir2.0 will be able to run electron apps through Wayland support, and therefore run directly signal-desktop natively in Ubuntu touch? (Without container)

If so we could simply adapt Signal-Desktop interface for mobile screen, and it could offer a nice solution for Signal on UT. Although it would require some maintenance because the release rate of singal-desktop is quite high.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/88766https://forums.ubports.com/post/88766Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:03:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Sat, 27 Sep 2025 00:10:09 GMT]]>@aarontheissueguy I also thought it would be feasible to build a graphical client based on signal-CLI. It would be great if you succeed in porting it!

Although a drawback, I see is that signal-CLI is made to handle the device as the primary device for the account (as far as I'm aware of). To me with the experience of Axolotl being unreliable over time, I think having a client that works as a secondary device would be less risky.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/88393https://forums.ubports.com/post/88393Sat, 27 Sep 2025 00:10:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Signal-CLI on Ubuntu touch? on Thu, 28 Aug 2025 13:50:09 GMT]]>Once I get my Fairphone back from repair, ill start tinkering around with it. Ill probably also need to get a cheap phone number for testing.

I dont see why it shouldnt be possible. Ill have to package Java which sucks but its probably worth it.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/87754https://forums.ubports.com/post/87754Thu, 28 Aug 2025 13:50:09 GMT