Signal-desktop: Signal Desktop not syncing messages

[SuperHaze]

There is an issue with the desktop not syncing with the android client. I use a shared computer, so when I leave I manually un-link the desktop from android via the menu in the android app (would be great if we could also get this un-link option inside the chrome extensions).

Issue is, any messages or changes made during the un-linking will NOT show up when the computer is re-linked again.

I.e., if I un-link from computer, wait few days, then re-link to same computer, any new conversaitons or messages will not appear in desktop. In fact, the desktop will look EXACTLY as it did just before un-linking.
https://gist.github.com/71d847df3f0cb1a77d478301f174a1d9

[Trolldemorted]

working as intended - syncing works by having the sender send it to every device of the recipient.

[SuperHaze]

issue now for example is deleted groups, which may have been deleted in between sync, will still show on desktop. In fact, regardless to what has changed on the android, nothing will be updated on the desktop.

Why even show the old status then? I'd rather the desktop just be blank since gorups / messages / contacts are all out of date.

[Trolldemorted]

signal-desktop does not delete the local data when it is unlinked, so the groups are still there.

[SuperHaze]

yes, that is my issue. Can it be set to do so? Or have an update to enable this by default? Problem is sometimes I leave a particular desktop for days or longer, and often the local content is very out of date.

[SuperHaze]

and not only is the local content out of date, but the contacts are too - upon linking if the client could open to a blank slate along with a freshly synched contact list would work the best

[Trolldemorted]

you might propose a "clear all local data"-button, but reinstalling signal-desktop has the same effect.

signal-desktop sends sync requests to your master-device while linking.

[SuperHaze]

No, you shouldn't have to manually clear all each time you sync.

Here's a better question; if you manually un-link then why does signal retain ANY local files? These files are useless as they point to messages or groups that might even exist on the current android session, yet when you re-link these old, useless and now incorrect messages and groups are still shown.

When you re-link, the desktop should reflect the present android state.

[liliakai]

Working as intended. Won't fix.

[SuperHaze]

How is this intended? The desktop and mobile client are out of sync.

The only way to get them back in sync is a full uninstall of desktop signal.

[Trolldemorted]

unlinking should not delete all local files, why should it?

[SuperHaze]

because once you link again, what your desktop shows is completely OUT OF SYNC with your phone - any changes to conversations, groups etc etc will NOT be reflected on the desktop - the desktop will show what had shown when it was last used, even though the main client (ie android) has changed since then.

Why on earth would I want to see old conversations and old groups that are currently deleted? The desktop should accurately reflect the main client (mobile).

[Trolldemorted]

the desktop shows what it has received. i don't want to lose my message logs just because my device gets unlinked. if you want to clear your data, reinstall or propose a clear-all-data button.

[SuperHaze]

Absolutely the desktop should lose its local files after unlinking, after all it is only a subsidiary to the Master device (in this case, mobile - android or ios). When you link the desktop to your device, it should show what the device shows - since this is what is current and up to date.

Why owuld you want to look at old, possibly deleted, messages and groups that dont even exist anymore?

What is so hard for you to understand? When you link desktop, it should show CURRENT data from mobile, not outdated garbage from the last time it was linked.

[SuperHaze]

So yes, this is a bug and should be re-opened

[SuperHaze]

Troll are you doing this on purpose or you still don't understand the problem?

[smichel17]

@superhaze I've been a silent observer so far. Please stop being uneccessarily antagonistic. It just makes people less interested in interacting with you and makes the thread more likely to devolve into pointless argument.

You're asking what @trolldemorted "doesn't get". I think they doesn't get your point of view, but you also don't get theirs. I think you should both make an effort to understand one another, because you both have valid viewpoints.

Here's my two cents, a combination of your views:

When I unlink a my desktop from my phone, I don't expect my messages to disappear, I just expect to stop receiving new ones. I don't view that as my desktop being out of date, I view that as my desktop showing the most up-to-date state it has access to. That said, when I re-link my desktop, I expect it to be updated to the latest state of things. I expect that I would retain my history and that any conversations which happened between links would be synced. I would not expect to continue recieving messages in groups I have left on the mastery device.