Installation of Textsecure won't work

Lubenica · October 22, 2015, 8:33am

Hi,
I Would like to install Textsecure as an additional save messaging service.
When I try to install, it doesn’t work propperly. It says that there is no connection to wifi or mobile Internet (but there is and it works fine for all the other Apps!) or that I have a firewall blocking the installation.
It says "No network connection, to use Textsecure You need a wifi connection or a 3G connection or there is no connection possible due to a restict firewall"
Has anyone tried to install Textsecure lately and had the same problem? Is There a solution?
I did not even know there was a firewall - I did not install one. It must have been already on the fairphone.
I am using a fairphone from the first batch, but having updated and partitioned it.

Sevan · October 22, 2015, 9:34am

Hi @Lubenica

I tried TextSecure but not for long because I use my Fairphone without Google services.
The app precised at launch that these services were necessary, so I desintalled it.

I don’t remember any message about a firewall though.

So:

do you have Google services installed?
how were you connected to the network (wifi or cellular data)?

Regards,
Sevan

jftr · October 22, 2015, 9:35am

The firewall could be somewhere else: In your router if you are at home, in your companies network if you are at work, etc.

Lubenica · October 22, 2015, 9:48am

Hi,
thanks for the quick replies.

I use Google services (and they are installed) and am kind of ok with that, IF it would work

@jftr: I was/ am connected to wifi, and it is my wifi at home. Phew, do not know if there are any settings for a firewall in this. Have not set them up if so. I tried it with the cellular data connection as well, no change at all. Same problem.

I will check it once again and maybe try another messaging system or make people move to Threema. Phew.

rainer_zufall · October 22, 2015, 9:54am

Good choice! TextSecure has great crypto and is easy to use…

Regarding your problem and adding to the previous replies:

I also had the problem when trying to register via WIFI. Use your normal mobile internet.
If you use your phone with two SIM Cards I would also remove - just for the initial process of registering - the second SIM Card.

ps. always good http://support.whispersystems.org/

rainer_zufall · October 22, 2015, 10:02am

uuhhh… @Lubenica I didn’t see your reply. thats odd that it didn’t work with your normal data connection…

this should be the solution then: Some Fairphone user reported a same problem:
http://support.whispersystems.org/customer/portal/questions/12947878-failed-registration-in-the-fourth-step

So after a reinstall of google services it should work!

Lubenica · October 22, 2015, 10:30am

Thanks!
I removed the second SIM, I updated the play Store, I connected with mobile internet. It just won’t work. Grmpf.
Maybe seek though whispernet again, but I think I am done with Textsecure and stay in Threema.

rainer_zufall · October 22, 2015, 10:38am

That’s sad to hear. I think TextSecure is really great, free and open source. (in many ways better than Threema) But I get it that it is frustrating!

when you write “I updated the play Store” - you mean you did not only update the app itself but reinstalled the complete Google Services and logged in again? (https://fairphone.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201295267-How-to-reinstall-the-app-store)

humorkritik · October 25, 2015, 7:02pm

Removing the second SIM is very sensible; considering the PlayStore update I have the same question as @rainer_zufall: did you re-install google services, or maybe just did an update of the PlayStore app?

Just FTR, several intermittent cycles of turning your device completely off and on again in the process of de-installing and re-installing the Google services and TextSecure might be a good idea.

Also: are you using any rights management system, like XPrivacy, or some antivirus stuff? I had to re-configure my XPrivacy settings several times for TextSecure to work, since I initially blocked some Google services framework functions. When I added a Spanish second SIM, I even had to reconfigure some more rules, I vaguely remember. (Sadly, I didn’t take note at the time which!)

BTW, I prefer using threema - but TS is great also just for using it as an additional app, because it locally encrypts the text messages you receive/send via SMS. I set TS not to keep the passphrase in memory for too long, so my local text messages are encrypted. It’s just an additional layer, and you might dislike typing in your passphrase every other moment. But even if someone gets hold of my phone, they can’t just read my text message history. I like it that way.