Signal-desktop: Feature Request: Show warning somewhere that Desktop is unlinked after 30 days of inactivity

[JohnDohe]

• [ ] I have searched open and closed issues for duplicates
  

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Bug Description

I had to re-link my Mac Signal desktop app after 30 days of inactivity.
This caused my Mac desktop Signal app to lose the texts in that 30 day period -
they would not sink:
"For your security, conversation history isn't transferred to new linked devices."
BUT my desktop Mac is NOT a "new device"!
Its the same device as that listed in my iPhone7+'s Signal app!
I should be able to simply re-activate the same device?

Steps to Reproduce

1. Load Signal app into a desktop pc or mac.
2. Link it to a cellphone.
3. Sync desktop Signal
4. Do not use Signal desktop for more than 30 days
   Thats it. When Signal desktop is brought up in the desktop it will require you to re-link and you will lose the texts sent using the iPhone Signal app and/or another pc or mac running the Signal that texted anything via Signal in that 30 day period.

Actual Result:

See steps 1-4 above.

Expected Result:

Just re-activate the linked device that is already there in the iPhone's Signal Linked Devices list.

Screenshots

Platform Info

Signal Version:

v1.34.1

Operating System:

Mojave 10.14.6

Linked Device Version:

iOS: 13.4.1

Link to Debug Log

https://debuglogs.org/6e0a12bd5a0a603721d940bece7345674c66b14cdb453d110220512d2b4a8ad8

[kenpowers-signal]

Hi, @JohnDohe. Devices are de-registered from the Signal Service after 30 days of inactivity, at that point any messages queued up for delivery to that device are dropped. Once you re-link your Desktop instance is essentially a brand new device and will not receive any messages from the period of time it was offline.

I've marked this as a bug so we can put a more clear message in the product.

[elmicha]

Maybe you can add a feature that opens the Signal desktop instance every 29 days, if it has not been opened in the meantime? Or save some token somewhere to re-recognize the desktop device? Or just keep the device link on your service for more than 30 days, e.g. a year? If I sell my device and don't factory reset or wipe it, and the buyer is a bad guy - does it really take him more than 30 days to reconnect and read all my messages?

[reetp]

I go through periods of not using the desktop app. Could be several weeks at a time.

The link is still there in the mobile app. The OLD messages are still visible in the desktop client (why if you have broken the link?). Nothing to say that this would happen - just.... silence, and puzzlement.

Technically the message is wrong as this WAS a linked device, so it most definitely is NOT new, hence the confusion. But SIGNAL broke it. Not me. (and I am pretty sure this didn't use to happen).

But the reality is it seems that quite a few don't want the link broken (there are several bugs on same or similar issues).

Perhaps an option for the user to decide when to break the link?

30 days, 3 months, never ?

And a notification in the app that this is going to happen??

[reetp]

Note this IS a bug too because:

• Old messages are still viewable - if the link is broken they should be discarded

• The existing message is wrong and misleading

These would be feature requests:

• Notification of pending link deletion on the phone app

• Choice of deletion period