Others default to Signal, not SMS, after uninstall

2 min read Original article ↗

Checklist:


Bug description

When you install Signal and set it as SMS client, all your contacts that also have signal app will not send default SMS again.
They will default to Signal msg.

If someone uninstall Signal after that, you still have the option to send Signal messages, that are now default.

That is very confusing, as people without so much tech knowledge will feel like they cannot send message to a contact anymore.

Steps to reproduce

  • A friend install Signal
  • Your Signal app now detects it and change the default from SMS to Signal
  • That friend uninstall Signal
  • Your Signal app still sends Signal msgs, not going back to default SMS

Actual result: You end up sending a Signal message to a contact that does not have Signal anymore, and the message is never received. Your app still thinks the contact have Signal.
Expected result: Your app should go back to default that specific contact to SMS, not Signal. When you try to send a Signal msg to a contact that does not have Signal installed, Signal app should detect that and change your message to SMS. Lost of data is the worst kind of error, and in this case, lost of communication (that may be urgent), until the sender realizes what is happening.

Screenshots

No screenshots needed for this explanation.

Device info

No device info needed for this bug.

Device: two devices
Android version: multiple
Signal version: last for Android from play store (5.5.5)

Link to debug log

No link debug log generated