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Should I bridge Whatsapp on Matrix? (Or alternatives to get on Whatsapp) (reddthat.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by Lemmert@reddthat.com to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world

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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:

I need to open the app every two weeks on my second phone (which tends to get lost when I need it).
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!

Edit: Thanks everyone for the help! I've heard some awesome suggestions. I opted to keep using the bridge. Apparently you don't need to open the app to refresh the biweekly timer, just run it in the backgroud. I happen to have a device that is on more than often enough for Whatsapp to refresh that timer in te background.

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[–] Lemmert@reddthat.com 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

By keeping it open 24/7 do you mean that the app is actively taking screen space or is an unclosed app in the background? I hadn't actually thought of not swiping the app away after refreshing the timer. And yeah I was looking at OpenWA as well but that's for businesses.

[–] hendrik@palaver.p3x.de 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Background will do. I think even swiping it away is fine, as long as you don't force-close it. Just pay attention there is some Play store or Aurora store doing automatic app updates. I skipped on the updates and once WhatsApp hadn't been updated for several months, they closed the connection.

[–] Lemmert@reddthat.com 3 points 2 weeks ago

I do have a tablet I use as a glorified recipe book. So that might just do it. Thanks, you've been a huge help!