this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2026
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It tooks years to implement the whole functionality. They also weren't working on this feature the whole time, but it was on the list. Adding another payment method isn't the same.
I agree it's not great to require play services, but it isn't going to always be the only option. It's in beta, so clearly isn't finished.
The users are not de-anonymized, they use a ZKP transaction (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-knowledge_proof). We don't need to have to trust Google, it's the whole point of a zero trust model. Zero trust is required
When I talk about de-anonymizing the user, I mean that Google Play has already identified the user of the device. Then they can spy on the Signal app to try to identify the Signal account.
But also, regarding ZKP, afaik their ZKP doesn't account for timing attacks. Signal can log when each account was made, and collude with Google to figure out which payments correspond to which accounts
Also, is that supposedly ZKP payment method something verified, audited and, more important, open sourced? It's Google, so I'm 101% that no.