Dev

This week was fairly big for the Session team; on Android and Desktop we wrapped up cross platform testing which only leaves cross platform testing for iOS before we start an internal release for the user config upgrades. The Session team also got stuck into disappearing messages and a new Android point release which should reduce crashes and ANRs (app not responding) for lots of devices. The Oxen team has been working on new endpoints for the storage server and the Ledger audit which we are still awaiting a response from our auditors on. The Lokinet team released the prototype version of libQUIC which is now up on the Oxen repository. We did our first localhost testing and client to server testing with these streams and will be reporting results very soon!

Oxen Core

• Fix off by one decoy selection bug as reported in upstream Monero

Session

Session Android

• Fixes for cross platform Android + Desktop user config syncing

• Updated Slovak translations (Thanks community member dodog)

• Fix scroll to bottom button visibility

• Update Accessibility tags

• Fix ID divider colour

Session iOS

• Further work implementing updated Push Notifications approach client side

• Fix avatar reupload and job runner issues

• Update UI for uploading/removing profile image

• Global search improvements

• Ongoing work to improve disappearing message unit tests and integrate into new config message approach

• Ongoing user config work

Session Desktop

• Updated Slovak translations (Thanks community member dodog)

• Update PR and bug request template

• Improved UI for setting profile images

• Updates to Quotes/Reply message PR

• Fixes for cross platform Android + Desktop user config syncing

• Update max unread counts

Lokinet

• Start new repo for in progress libQUIC library — This library contains work from the last month or so to be able to create reliable and fast connections using QUIC between clients and Snodes.

• Add new workflow to drop stale issues

Marketing

Alex and Sam had a really successful week in Chiang Mai. It was an inspiring and humbling week, as they met real Session users, developers from the region, and fellow digital rights defenders. They got the chance to meet up with folks from several organisations we’ve worked with over the last few years, as well as meet a new crew of people who are doing amazing work. 

It was a very busy week over in Thailand, with wall-to-wall events, talks, workshops, and panels — but it was well worthwhile. There was a huge focus on privacy and security across the week, and overall there is a high level of awareness of Session and the work of the OPTF in the digital rights community. It was great to have the chance to engage more directly with everyone at the conference, and there are lots of opportunities we’ll be looking to pursue going forward. 

Back on home soil, we were down two marketing wizards with Cam taking much of the week off with the flu. Despite this, we still make some exciting progress in campaign-planning for both Oxen and Session, and released a new episode of the Session Tapes.

On episode 8 of the Session Tapes, Cam and Alex sat down to discuss some pretty juicy topics: the rolling out of “encrypted” DMs on Twitter, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman facing a senate hearing about the dangers of AI. For all the juicy hot takes, check that video out here.

Speaking of Sessions YouTube, we spent some of last week approaching the finish line for the Session YouTube growth plan. We are super happy with the ideas that have been generated and the strategy that underpins this plan, and the format can easily be applied to Oxen as well — doubling the value that we generate from producing this plan.

Speaking of planning: the planning for our marketing campaign is moving forward, with last week seeing us focus primarily on the PR element of the campaign. We plan to push Oxen out far and wide to over 75+ crypto and tradfi news outlets when the campaign is launched, as well as setting up and knocking down a bunch of interviews and other third party content with creators. That’s all folks