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signalapp / Signal-Desktop

A private messenger for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
https://signal.org/download
GNU Affero General Public License v3.0
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Display 'is typing' animation during conversations #2578

Closed adrianmace closed 4 years ago

adrianmace commented 6 years ago

Description

Large group conversations often get stuck / continuity is broken as we end up talking over the top of each other instead of waiting for the other to finish typing. This is because there is no notification shown when someone else is typing.

The same can be said about individual conversations.

ShellSignal explains it well here: https://community.signalusers.org/t/show-other-users-typing/2215/12

Expected result:

'...' or similar implemented just the same as every other major chat platform in this space has done so. See Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp or Telegram for examples of this.

adrianmace commented 6 years ago

mentioned here #2343 but broke it into separate issue for visibility.

deutrino commented 6 years ago

If this is implemented, please allow the user to disable it.

adrianmace commented 6 years ago

I disagree. This isn't the 90s; current generations and upcoming generations who have yet to pick their chat platform of choice expect near-instant communication methods and responses, and most of business online is now conducted in minutes rather than days or weeks.

Signal should be making an RCS platform, not an antiquated SMS service. With that comes feedback icons to show that you are getting a response.

lehresman commented 6 years ago

The usability case for this is that it helps you know when someone is done speaking, and can prevent you from talking over someone. Especially if that person is in the habit of typing one-sentence messages at a time. With typing notification, it lets you know when they're done with their thought.

GuardianMajor commented 6 years ago

@lehresman agreed it has it's usecase, but every implementation I have seen fails to distinguish between them typing something to YOU or just working on a Word document or typing to someone else, so that really doesn't give you the reliable context you are stating.

Even if they manage to overcome that problem, it seems like a lot of unnecessary effort for something that generally is despised and often cited as a privacy concern, since last seen or activity notification disclose things that I won't get into, you can search for it but generally should be avoided or left as a strictly opt-in for each user, and never defaulted for everyone. We already have read-receipt, I think that's more than sufficient. JMTC.

PS. Interesting no one jumped in to scream that this feature request should be taken to the forum. Seems the standard is being applied very inconsistently. Just an observation.

lehresman commented 6 years ago

@GuardianMajor I'm not sure how "typing a Word document" would activate the typing indicator. It would only activate if I'm typing in the message window in a particular conversation.

Also, I would very much disagree that it is a despised feature. In my opinion it is a basic usability feature, and I believe that most people expect it and are surprised that Signal doesn't have it.

Totally agree that it should be optional though. A user should be able to opt out of sending their own typing notification.

GuardianMajor commented 6 years ago

@lehresman Agreed, that's the expectation but I have seen it consistently and miserably fail to constraint itself that accurately. Additionally, while it may be a "basic usability" feature among a certain subset of the population, it doesn't apply to all majority. If it becomes a large issue, then yes using an option based enforcement (which is always susceptible to being broken due to code changes) would become necessary.

laraisonline commented 6 years ago

Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it.

But maybe that’s just me.

DirkPitt1 commented 5 years ago

I'd like to see this functionality, but only if it could be turned off for those, seeking the highest privacy. Something like Typing indicator turned off, turned on for verified contacts and for everyone.

scottnonnenberg-signal commented 5 years ago

This feature is currently in Beta: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Desktop/releases/tag/v1.19.0-beta.2

Cerberus0 commented 4 years ago

This feature is no longer in beta. The app now supports typing indicators, so I think this feature request can be closed.