39

Heyhey everyone,

I am going to switch from my Synapse instance (back) to Continuwuity in a month. The main reason I've been using it is to chat with family who are only on Whatsapp and iMessage (Yes, I tried getting them someplace else. Whatsapp ended up being that other place). Though I'm also in groups on other Matrix instances.

The main annoyances I had with using the bridge until now are:

  1. I need to open the app every two weeks on my second phone (which tends to get lost when I need it).
  2. The time my server went out for a couple of days also made me unsure of self hosting a bridge. I don't mind if I can't see some support messages for a couple of days, but I do mind not being able to get texts from family.

Compared to just using the app it's a difficult proposition. But on the other hand I don't have anything proprietary installed on my phone and I'd like to keep it that way if possible.

There is technically a third option by hosting an iMessage bridge, but I don't have a spare Mac. And while my second phone is an iPhone, there is no documentation on how to bridge via a 64-bit iPhone. In this case however, there would be no two weeks access requirement.

I'd love to hear you guys' thoughts and maybe some other way to tackle this!

Cheers!

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] artyom@piefed.social 9 points 8 hours ago

I got my family using Signal. Then I stopped responding to them anywhere else. If it's important they'll do it.

WhatsApp is and always will be annoying to use this way, and that's intentional. They don't want you using it this way.

Lastly you can use RCS (Google Messages) to chat with iMessage users, but here you're just trading Meta spying for Google spying.

[-] Lemmert@reddthat.com 2 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Yes, my family sent me important messages on Signal for the couple of months we used it, but that was it. The issue lied with the other kinds of messages that I just didn't receive anymore. I'm happy enough we got on a platform that is at the very least e2ee and where those other kinds chats still continue. Though I'm aware that metadata is being shared that wouldn't be if we used Signal.

this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2026
39 points (97.6% liked)

Selfhosted

61126 readers
510 users here now

A place to share alternatives to popular online services that can be self-hosted without giving up privacy or locking you into a service you don't control.

Rules:

Detailed Rules Post

  1. Be civil.

  2. No spam.

  3. Posts are to be related to self-hosting.

  4. Don't duplicate the full text of your blog or readme if you're providing a link.

  5. Submission headline should match the article title.

  6. No trolling.

  7. Promotion posts require active participation, with an account that is at least 30 days old. F/LOSS without a paywall has exceptions, with requirements. See the rules link for details. Tags [CBH] or [AIP] are required, see the links in Rule 8 for details.

  8. AI-related discussions and AI-involved promotional posts have additional requirements for tagging, as noted in Rule 7 and the AI & Promotional Post Expanded Rules post, and find example disclosures here.

Resources:

Any issues on the community? Report it using the report flag.

Questions? DM the mods!

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS