briar issueshttps://code.briarproject.org/groups/briar/-/issues2023-08-28T16:02:46Zhttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/public-mesh-research/-/issues/19Investigate whether Android devices can connect via internet when no internet...2023-08-28T16:02:46ZakwizgranInvestigate whether Android devices can connect via internet when no internet access is detectedDuring a partial internet shutdown where a national network is disconnected from the internet but routing still works within the national network, Android devices may report that they don't have internet access because they can't fetch t...During a partial internet shutdown where a national network is disconnected from the internet but routing still works within the national network, Android devices may report that they don't have internet access because they can't fetch the URL that's used for detecting internet access (see https://stackoverflow.com/questions/33431931/how-does-android-know-if-the-wifi-connection-has-internet-access-or-not/39475588#39475588).
In this situation it would be useful to know whether an app can still route traffic to addresses on the national network. We might be able to simulate this situation by blocking access to the captive portal detection URL and perhaps also blocking DNS.Public mesh researchSebastianSebastianhttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/issues/2404Animated GIF doesn't play2022-11-30T18:13:08ZTerence EdenAnimated GIF doesn't playI sent an animated .gif file via Bluetooth. It was received as a JPEG and, naturally, didn't play.
GIFs are fun! I'm not asking that the app integrates a GIF search engine. But it shouldn't transcode the media I send.
Briar 1.4.15 for ...I sent an animated .gif file via Bluetooth. It was received as a JPEG and, naturally, didn't play.
GIFs are fun! I'm not asking that the app integrates a GIF search engine. But it shouldn't transcode the media I send.
Briar 1.4.15 for Android.
(If this is the wrong forum for this report, please let me know.)https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/issues/2403Not enough feedback while connecting to Mailbox2022-12-15T13:02:08ZakwizgranNot enough feedback while connecting to Mailbox> Sometimes the connection took a long time while setting up the Mailbox. In these cases, a few participants assumed that they were having problems with either the app or the internet connection. There is not enough feedback for the user...> Sometimes the connection took a long time while setting up the Mailbox. In these cases, a few participants assumed that they were having problems with either the app or the internet connection. There is not enough feedback for the user on this screen.Mailbox: Usability testingIvanaIvanahttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar-mailbox/-/issues/178Testers didn't understand purpose of stop button2023-01-19T13:03:25ZakwizgranTesters didn't understand purpose of stop button> Do users understand what the Stop button is for (and that they are not going to receive any messages in their Mailbox when it is stopped?)
>
> Most participants were confused by this question. They were trying to guess but they weren’t...> Do users understand what the Stop button is for (and that they are not going to receive any messages in their Mailbox when it is stopped?)
>
> Most participants were confused by this question. They were trying to guess but they weren’t sure if their answers were right. Some guessed that they would receive the messages and they would be saved in the mailbox, they would be able to get them after they run the Mailbox app again. Some assumed that they would lose all messages when they stop it. Others assumed that they would be able to get their messages if they stop
but they wouldn’t be able to get them if they Unlink the device, as in that case the Mailbox itself would be deleted.Mailbox: Usability testingSebastianSebastianhttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/issues/2402Check that text in Briar's mailbox connection troubleshooter matches text in ...2023-04-24T13:05:32ZakwizgranCheck that text in Briar's mailbox connection troubleshooter matches text in Mailbox appMailbox: Releaseakwizgranakwizgranhttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/issues/2401Testers were concerned that Briar showed Mailbox as connected when Mailbox wa...2023-08-28T16:03:27ZakwizgranTesters were concerned that Briar showed Mailbox as connected when Mailbox was offline> Participants were complaining that even when the Mailbox device was offline, on the Briar app it looked like the connection is still working well. There were no indications that the connection is not working. They were expecting to get...> Participants were complaining that even when the Mailbox device was offline, on the Briar app it looked like the connection is still working well. There were no indications that the connection is not working. They were expecting to get a notification on their Briar app device whenever there were any problems with the Mailbox connection.
>
> This was quite concerning to them, they expressed that in everyday use they would never think to manually check the connection and they would always assume that the Mailbox is working unless they get a notification on their Briar device telling them about the problems.
>
> The “Last connection…” indicator wasn’t enough to show them the connection problems. They didn’t know how often Briar automatically check the connection. For example, Mailbox device was disconnected 3 minutes ago but the screen on the Briar app didn’t indicate any problem it just showed the time of the “Last connection: 5 minutes ago”.
Some thoughts about how to address this:
* If the last connection was not very recent (say, more than a minute ago), show a neutral status instead of a successful status, to prompt the user to use the "check connection" button to update the status
* Show some text along the lines of "Briar will automatically check the connection to your Mailbox every hour and notify you if your Mailbox is not reachable", and maybe show when the next check is dueMailbox: Usability testinghttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/issues/2400Testers didn't realise that text buttons were buttons2022-12-07T16:54:37ZakwizgranTesters didn't realise that text buttons were buttons![buttons-1](/uploads/72a3c9f24adea51777db39592588ef50/buttons-1.png)
> A few participants didn’t notice the “Check connection settings” button. In this case, the “Try again” button grabs the attention and it’s hard to tell that “Check ...![buttons-1](/uploads/72a3c9f24adea51777db39592588ef50/buttons-1.png)
> A few participants didn’t notice the “Check connection settings” button. In this case, the “Try again” button grabs the attention and it’s hard to tell that “Check connection settings” is a button, it looks like a text/link.
![buttons-2](/uploads/965fe0ae27bc7520d2f1b1dc9e32ca31/buttons-2.png)
> The same goes for the screenshot on the right, “Fix problem” and “Unlink” look like links. There is a mismatch in these patterns. Use buttons in every case the user is required to take action and use colors to distinguish their importance.
We're using the Material 2 "text button" style for these buttons. Maybe we should use the "outlined button" style instead.
https://m2.material.io/components/buttons/android#using-buttons
There's also some inconsistency in the colouring: we're using the link colour for the "fix problem" button (like the positive button in dialogs), but the app's primary colour for the "check connection settings" button.Mailbox: Usability testingakwizgranakwizgranhttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/issues/2399Tester didn't know whether message had been uploaded to Mailbox2023-08-28T16:03:30ZakwizgranTester didn't know whether message had been uploaded to Mailbox> The tester was confused with the process of sending a message while the other contact is offline. He was expecting to get feedback from Briar to know if the message has been saved to Mailbox. He opened the notifications drawer on the B...> The tester was confused with the process of sending a message while the other contact is offline. He was expecting to get feedback from Briar to know if the message has been saved to Mailbox. He opened the notifications drawer on the Briar phone but didn’t find anything, then he checked the Mailbox app but didn’t find feedback there either. While he was waiting, he noticed an hourglass icon near the message and didn’t know what that meant. He thought it indicated a disappearing message. After I asked a follow-up question on how he understands if a message is delivered, he let me know that one checkmark indicates that the message is delivered and two checkmarks that the message is opened.
>
> After the other contact came back online, he noticed that the message was delivered as he saw the checkmarks, but he was wondering if the message was sent directly from the app or if it was transferred by Mailbox and he didn’t find any way to understand this.
Related to #1208.Mailbox: Usability testinghttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/issues/2398Testers didn't understand why Mailbox was still linked after failed unlinking2023-08-28T16:03:33ZakwizgranTesters didn't understand why Mailbox was still linked after failed unlinking![unlink-1](/uploads/291b980ba78f2254b8ec690bb77f1850/unlink-1.png) ![unlink-2](/uploads/1279bbd2726de7a3d2adbc3076af895c/unlink-2.png)
> This step was confusing in most cases. Participants ignored the textboxes and when they unlinked t...![unlink-1](/uploads/291b980ba78f2254b8ec690bb77f1850/unlink-1.png) ![unlink-2](/uploads/1279bbd2726de7a3d2adbc3076af895c/unlink-2.png)
> This step was confusing in most cases. Participants ignored the textboxes and when they unlinked the device, the Mailbox still showed that it was linked. In those cases, they thought that this must be happening because of bugs in the test app.Mailbox: Usability testinghttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar-mailbox/-/issues/177Having stop button beside connection indicator is confusing2022-12-16T15:22:50ZakwizgranHaving stop button beside connection indicator is confusing> Having the “Stop” button near the check mark is confusing as it makes it look like a button instead of an indicator. I’d suggest you move the “Stop” button below the “Last connection...” text.> Having the “Stop” button near the check mark is confusing as it makes it look like a button instead of an indicator. I’d suggest you move the “Stop” button below the “Last connection...” text.Mailbox: Usability testingSebastianSebastianhttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar-mailbox/-/issues/176Not enough feedback while Mailbox is starting2022-11-30T11:04:52ZakwizgranNot enough feedback while Mailbox is starting> Sometimes the connection took a long time while setting up the Mailbox. In these cases, a few participants assumed that they were having problems with either the app or the internet connection. There is not enough feedback for the user...> Sometimes the connection took a long time while setting up the Mailbox. In these cases, a few participants assumed that they were having problems with either the app or the internet connection. There is not enough feedback for the user on this screen.Mailbox: Usability testinghttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar-mailbox/-/issues/175"Bootstrapping Tor" was confusing for some testers2023-01-19T13:12:15Zakwizgran"Bootstrapping Tor" was confusing for some testers> There were conflicting opinions about the descriptions while loading. For participants who were familiar with Tor, this was good feedback as they were able to tell what is happening in the background but for participants who weren’t fa...> There were conflicting opinions about the descriptions while loading. For participants who were familiar with Tor, this was good feedback as they were able to tell what is happening in the background but for participants who weren’t familiar with Tor, the text was confusing.Mailbox: Usability testingIvanaIvanahttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/issues/2397Misleading error message when testers tried to pair mailbox via add contact s...2023-02-07T12:55:38ZakwizgranMisleading error message when testers tried to pair mailbox via add contact screen> The error message “The QR code you have scanned comes from a newer version of briar” was misleading. Participants believed they needed to upgrade to the latest version, so they asked for new links. After I clarified that they already h...> The error message “The QR code you have scanned comes from a newer version of briar” was misleading. Participants believed they needed to upgrade to the latest version, so they asked for new links. After I clarified that they already have the correct apk and encouraged them to explore other ways to link the devices.Mailbox: Usability testingIvanaIvanahttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/issues/2396Testers couldn't find mailbox pairing screen2023-08-28T16:03:37ZakwizgranTesters couldn't find mailbox pairing screen> All participants successfully installed and created accounts. On the other hand, linking devices was one of the most difficult tasks for all
participants.
>
> The common pattern for all was to misinterpret the device-linking process a...> All participants successfully installed and created accounts. On the other hand, linking devices was one of the most difficult tasks for all
participants.
>
> The common pattern for all was to misinterpret the device-linking process as adding a new contact. The first instinct for four out of five participants was to click on the + icon and try to “add a contact nearby”, they chose that because the devices are near to each other.
>
> The second place they went to look for the feature was always the sidebar menu. First, they looked at the options there and the connection icons. They guessed that linking devices is a form of connection, so they would find it there. One of the participants assumed that the “Internet” icon represents the Mailbox connection.
>
> On the third attempt, they could all find the Mailbox option, listed under the Settings menu.Mailbox: Usability testinghttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/issues/2395Check for Bluetooth timeout setting on stock Android 132023-02-01T14:36:46ZakwizgranCheck for Bluetooth timeout setting on stock Android 13CalyxOS 4.3.0 (based on Android 13) has a "Bluetooth timeout" setting that automatically turns off Bluetooth if no devices are connected for a configurable amount of time (the timeout can also be disabled). This setting could prevent Bri...CalyxOS 4.3.0 (based on Android 13) has a "Bluetooth timeout" setting that automatically turns off Bluetooth if no devices are connected for a configurable amount of time (the timeout can also be disabled). This setting could prevent Briar from connecting to contacts via Bluetooth if the timeout period elapsed with no contact connections.
We should check whether this setting exists upstream (stock Android 13) and whether a timeout is enabled by default.https://code.briarproject.org/briar/website/-/issues/43Instructions for building from source should tell developers not to upgrade t...2022-11-28T11:01:35ZakwizgranInstructions for building from source should tell developers not to upgrade the Android Gradle plugin when promptedA new developer reported that they followed the prompt for upgrading the Android Gradle plugin and then the build failed due to checksum failures. The build instructions should warn new contributors to ignore this prompt.A new developer reported that they followed the prompt for upgrading the Android Gradle plugin and then the build failed due to checksum failures. The build instructions should warn new contributors to ignore this prompt.https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar-desktop/-/issues/436Show trust indicator in contact list2022-12-07T11:26:38ZMikolai GütschowShow trust indicator in contact listSimilar to how it's been done in Briar Android since one of the last releases.Similar to how it's been done in Briar Android since one of the last releases.Mikolai GütschowMikolai Gütschowhttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar-desktop/-/issues/435Show newly arriving posts if forum is shown on screen2022-11-30T20:26:55ZMikolai GütschowShow newly arriving posts if forum is shown on screenRight now, it is necessary to click on the forum item again, which triggers a reload of all posts.Right now, it is necessary to click on the forum item again, which triggers a reload of all posts.Mikolai GütschowMikolai Gütschowhttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar-desktop/-/issues/434Decrease unread counter in forum list2022-12-07T16:04:40ZMikolai GütschowDecrease unread counter in forum listAs follow-up of #409 and !258As follow-up of #409 and !258Mikolai GütschowMikolai Gütschowhttps://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/issues/2394Research how Tumblr and Twitter handle comments/reblogs for previously seen p...2023-03-15T12:34:52ZakwizgranResearch how Tumblr and Twitter handle comments/reblogs for previously seen postsWhen a Briar blog post receives a comment or reblog from someone whose blog we subscribe to, a duplicate of the post is added to our combined feed. Research how Tumblr and Twitter handle this, specifically in the case where the comment c...When a Briar blog post receives a comment or reblog from someone whose blog we subscribe to, a duplicate of the post is added to our combined feed. Research how Tumblr and Twitter handle this, specifically in the case where the comment chain forks (for example, Alice comments on the original post and then Bob comments on the original post rather than replying to Alice's comment).Sponsor 6 usability improvements