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Signal is actually pretty good for the occasional "cross-iOS/Android" video chat. Can't use iOS Facetime, don't want to use $META, google/meet is OK, but isn't quite as straightforward as "@Signal => CALL_ME".



Anyone can use FaceTime now. Non Apple devices will just join via a browser.


Which is ridiculous


What? how does that work? If you call the cell number of an Android device on facetime, what happens on the android end?


You text them a link to join the call. The Android user can’t be the one to initiate.


> The Android user can’t be the one to initiate.

That sounds like a bad joke. "Everyone can use Facetime, except if you're on a certain platform you have to ask someone on the 'real' platform to initiate the call." That's... not a viable communication method.


Nobody is claiming that FaceTime is the singular universal communications method. Certainly not Apple.


Oh. Ok that's never going to work.

"Hey there please click on this link to talk to me"

=> Malware! Blocked.


It’s how many Zoom and Teams calls terminate. Not saying it’s a good idea, but it’s not especially unusual.


But you don't get zoom links via _SMS_ do you?

Almost all links I get via SMS are phishing. The rest is OTP, there is sometimes a link in the same SMS but I _never_ clicked a link in an SMS...

My point is, the inhibition to click a link inside an SMS is very high with lots of users, hence I can't imagine this working well.

Also, it's purely inconvenient. You're not having a conf call at a previously agreed time, you want to call someone, this means it's spontaneous or somewhat urgent...


Most people lead up to an invitation to a video call with text messages (e.g. "When are you free for a video call?") unless they're very familiar with the other party.


thats how almost all video comm platforms work..




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