
Wave – A private and unique messenger for iOS - marcperel
https://itunes.apple.com/za/app/wave-%EF%BE%89/id1434827986?mt=8&ref=producthunt
======
hmhrex
Reading through the Privacy Policy, I have some concerns.

Under "Usage Information":

> We may collect information about: how you communicate with those Wavers,
> such as their names, the time and date of your communications...

I know you're not storing the actual messages (in plain text at least), but I
don't like the idea that you're storing who I'm talking to.

Under "Information Provided By Third Parties":

> \- Advertisers may let us know you installed a new app or games so we can
> determine whether we showed you an ad for it.

> \- If you interact with one of our advertisers, they may share information
> with us to help target or measure the performance of ads.

> \- If another user uploads their contact list, we may combine information
> from the user's contact list with other information we have collected about
> you.

That's too much profiling for my liking.

In the end, even though the messages are "private", I don't feel that this app
is taking my _privacy_ seriously.

Otherwise, I like the design, the UI and the idea. We need more competitors in
this space. I do desire a web version of any message platform I use. It makes
it easier for me to communicate throughout the day.

~~~
m1cky
Hi!

Thank you for your feedback.

Presently, Wave (^‿^)ﾉ is privately funded and in no way supported by any
advertising revenue.

The information that you made reference to was included as a precaution should
some future involvement come to fruition.

Please bear in mind that this project was made by an individual. Your feedback
regarding encryption / clauses in the terms of service / privacy policy are
greatly appreciated as they serve as guidance on which areas can be changed or
improved upon.

Thank you.

------
aleken
Norwegian eight digit numbers are not possible to submit in the signup form.
Strange that they need the phone number for an “anonymous “ messaging device.

~~~
m1cky
Hi! Wave (^‿^)ﾉ does not support numbers less than 9 digits. Support for
numbers with 8 digits or less will be added in the very near future.

Thank you for your feedback.

~~~
Tepix
How do you "optimize" for numbers with 8 digits? Sounds intriguing... /s

Edit: comment has been made obsolete due to edit of parent comment

~~~
m1cky
How do you edit a comment?

~~~
Tepix
You click on the "edit" link above your comment.

~~~
m1cky
Thanks!

------
m1cky
Wow Marc, thanks!

Hey HN, Wave (^‿^)ﾉ is privacy-focused instant messenger designed to keep the
nature of conversation fun and fleeting.

No other messaging platform offers complete messaging peace of mind by being
totally anonymous.

The app offers two message types: WaveFlash: 10 words or less - message
displayed word-by-word rapidly. WaveLength: 1000 characters or less - tap
anywhere to close the message when read.

Ask me anything here!

Features:

↩ Send and receive messages in one place. No chat lists. Messages are secured
in capsules that have to be manually opened to be read. Any unread message can
be unsent without notifying the receiver. Messages are displayed without
showing the sender’s name. All messages can be viewed once only. Messages are
end-to-end encrypted. Quick reply by swiping sent/received message capsules
inwards. Custom contact names for any chat

~~~
amelius
> Any unread message can be unsent without notifying the receiver.

So you can test whether the recipient read your message by simply
sending+unsending the message until you can't unsend anymore? :)

~~~
m1cky
I'm not sure I fully understand the question but you the only limitation to
the unsend feature is the message being 'read'. You can send and unsend as
many times as you like.

~~~
chrisseaton
They're asking if the unsend feature exposes whether the message has been
read..... but I can see in the screenshots that there's a 'read' indicator
anyway, isn't there? So it was a ignorant question and I wouldn't worry about
it.

~~~
m1cky
Yes! This is correct.

Thank you.

------
chupa-chups
Is this end-to-end encrypted? The store page says

> Messages encrypted using a combination of 256-bit symmetric AES encryption.

~~~
m1cky
The app utilises AES encryption method using this library:
[https://github.com/RNCryptor/RNCryptor](https://github.com/RNCryptor/RNCryptor).

~~~
danpalmer
Is the encryption end to end, or is the key known to the server?

~~~
aboutruby
Seems like there is a "password" required to encrypt/decrypt but the app's
descriptions says:

> \- No Sign Up / Log In / Usernames / Passwords.

So I'm guessing this password is stored server-side and the passwords are
associated to device ids.

Seems like it would read your contacts and then send them to their servers
too, not a fan of doing that personally.

I'm not sure why the app mentions encryption/security as it seems far from
being the main point of the app.

~~~
m1cky
Messages sent on the app are end-to-end encrypted and the key is not known to
the server. The only way anybody can read your messages is if you allow them
physical access to your phone.

------
vxNsr
Ugh, I hate everything about this. They claim to be privacy focused but
collect metadata for ads.

The app appears to have 15 fake 5 star reviews that don't at all accurately
review the app as an ephemeral messaging platform. One compares it to
Whatsapp.

there is no website explaining how this app works.

they're forcing users to provide a phone number for no discernable reason.

~~~
m1cky
Hey buddy!

Regarding your privacy concerns, the way in which it is designed makes
messaging private. All communication is also end-to-end encrypted.

No metadata collected other than what development platform requires for basic
analytics.

There is absolutely advertising.

The reviews are fake...?

Most messaging apps require a phone number.

The app works the same way as Whatsapp does. Both users needs each other saved
in their address book and both users need the app installed.

It was designed to be very user-friendly and simple.

Hope this in someway alleviates your frustrations.

(^‿^)ﾉ

------
ukyrgf
&ref=producthunt ?

~~~
penagwin
They got the link from product hunt who adds that, the mods should likely
remove that part of the link.

------
Angostura
Google's not defending the Wave trademark?

~~~
hmhrex
They don't own Wave anymore.[0]

[0]
[https://incubator.apache.org/projects/wave.html](https://incubator.apache.org/projects/wave.html)

------
hi5eyes
how does this compare to signal/imessage?

~~~
m1cky
It doesn't.

Sending and receiving a message on Wave (^‿^)ﾉ is different from any other
messaging platform.

~~~
hmhrex
It would be great if you expanded on _why_ it's different.

~~~
m1cky
The most notable difference is messages being stored inside capsules.

This means that you have to open a message to read it. You can only view it
once. When displayed, messages do not include the senders name.

------
MentallyRetired
RIP Google Wave -- you were ahead of your time.

Unfortunately no iOS in this household to try it out so best of luck to the
new Wave. :)

