Modern Communication

First off, I’d like to say that I’m very excited about the aesthetic and the features that Pure is coming out with. It’s exactly what I want from a mobile phone.

However.

To me SMS messages and GSM calls are an antiquated form of mobile communications. I use applications, such as Telegram, Signal and Whatsapp to communicate with family, friends and colleagues on a daily basis. As an example, if I suddenly no longer had access to Whatsapp, my ability to engage with the quick ad-hoc project groups I work with would be greatly hindered. Most people I meet use Whatsapp and if I was the only one without it, I’d force the rest of the group to use SMS in parallel to the group chat just to message me. I’m not content with that.

From what I’ve gathered so far, messenger apps were a stretch goal that was not met, but is it possible for Mudita to release a software update that would add messaging apps after launch?

This is one of the two issues I have with Pure (the other being the e-ink display refresh rate that I haven’t yet seen) and why I haven’t participated in the Indiegogo campaign.

Hope to hear any thoughts other users have about this and maybe even get an answer from Tiffany :wink: — Mike

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Other side: Is the group forcing you to use WhatsApp to communicate with them? Or are you agreeing to use it willingly to communicate with them? Could they willingly agree to use another platform to communicate with you?

Another take:
Is it unreasonable to request a non-mobile based approach to work together that could actually support you to use a phone for essentials (assuming that’s your goal and appeal for this phone, like it is for me)?

I see discomfort in asking for the group to accommodate you like this is an awful thing to do.

I could also see it being a conversation where you express your interest in leaning into living digital minimalism more as a lifestyle and at least one is the others go, “shit, that’s a great idea. I need that. And I never thought of moving our work to another platform… But actually, maybe we could be more effective as a group on Trello, Basecamp, etc?”

Another question: What if asking for the group to make a change isn’t a burden on the group, and was just perfectly okay and natural as a member of the group?
Not trying to detail your WhatsApp request but I’ve seen Tiffany answer this question similar questions enough times that I think the chances of an update with messenger apps is unlikely. But I could be proven wrong too!

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Hi @mike, thank you for such detailed feedback.

It’s very unlikely that we’ll add a messaging service to Mudita Pure, even in terms of future updates. There will definitely be updates involving language packs and so on but I really can’t see a messaging app being added. Particularly not WhatsApp due to it’s association with Facebook. Signal and Telegram were looked into with Signal in particular being on the cards at one point. We decided against it when we didn’t reach one of our Kickstarter stretch goals.

I know that some people, myself included (as I’ve mentioned a few times here and there) will be using Mudita Pure as a secondary device so as to create a better balance between online and offline. In terms of the refresh rate, the engineering team have confirmed that ‘our refresh rate is not fixed and depends on the content displayed on the screen. In addition, we try not to do a full refresh too often if the screen doesn’t require it, but only do a refresh of elements that are changing’.

Mudita Pure will be available on our e-commerce at a later date if you decide to wait until a couple of reviews come out etc. rather than pre-ordering! We do understand that it’s quite expensive, so if you prefer to wait, then that’s OK with us. We’re always here to help if you have any further questions.

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Hey @moon9river,

You’re right, it is very unlikely that we will add a messaging service such as WhatsApp to Mudita Pure.

We do understand @mike in that these services are important to a lot of people in order to keep in touch with families, friends and colleagues but in most cases, it is possible to use those messaging services on a computer. The difference is that the response time won’t be instant, which some might argue is a good thing! It means less distractions as replies are sent when you’re ready rather than at the ping of a notification. Alternatively, using Mudita Pure as a secondary device is another option for people who might heavily rely on messaging applications for remote work etc.

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