Project abandoned?

[mike2307]

Hi all,

I noticed that it has been quite a long time since there was any code activity here. Also the last release has been a long time ago.
In the mean time bug reports got more and more; especially the iOS side isn't the most stable one (normal iOS app not really usable, PWA sometimes crashes and randomly logs out the users).

Does anyone know if there is still further activity planned here?
If not, is there a well-maintained fork or a viable alternative?

Thanks a lot.

P.S.: I tried to register on discord but I'm constantly rejected due to "suspicious activities". Don't want to give my phone number to some random party just to ask a question...

[wunter8]

TL;DR: the project isn't abandoned, but we're busy with other things right now, so this free side-project hasn't received much attention recently. If you're a developer or know one, send them our way!!

Long version:
The project hasn't been abandoned. There are plenty of active users (both self-hosted and using the public instance), and there are no plans to abandon the project.

However, there are very few developers/contributors to the project (mostly binwiederhier (the project owner) and myself). We have both been very busy with full-time jobs and family, so development has been very slow (almost non-existent) for a while.

But, the app just keeps working (for the most part), so we haven't felt urgency to update/fix things.

Admittedly, binwiederhier and I both use Android and are not iOS developers, so the iOS app is far behind the Android app in terms of features. Also, Apple makes it difficult for something like ntfy to work at all.

Additionally, Google updated Android app requirements semi-recently, so in order to update the Android app, we need to comply with the new requirements. One of the changes affects how/how often the app can wake up in the background, which obviously affects the ntfy app's ability to maintain a connection to the ntfy server. That has added an additional hurdle to updating the Android app. So when we do have time to work on the Android app, it's not going to be just a quick "fix some bugs/add X feature" but rather a long "make the app comply with the new requirements and make sure nothing is broken." Only then can we add new features/fix bugs.

I'm very active in the discord channels and regularly help people set up ntfy or troubleshoot problems. If you get your account working and want to chat, you can find me there. (As an aside, you could delve into the world of Matrix (decentralized messaging) and use that to chat about ntfy instead of creating a Discord account. The Discord rooms are "bridged" to Matrix, so you can chat using either kind of account)

If you are a developer or know anyone that is, send them our way! We'd love extra help maintaining/updating ntfy, especially on the iOS side.

[binwiederhier]

Well said. Turns out that having two kids and a full time job that's fun is great, but also leaves no energy to do anything else ...

I am making sure that the server is up and things are largely working. Android works really nicely, and iOS soso...

I am 100% sure that I'll eventually find time again, but yeah right now nothing is happening

[msva]

I'll eventually find time again, but yeah right now nothing is happening

Based on my own experience with 3 kids and even having own business, it would probably never happen 😁

[n0nag0n]

You guys are awesome for keeping this thing alive despite your busy schedules! I searched for a simple notification solution and ntfy is AMAZINGLY simple. Love it!

[mike2307]

Thanks a lot for the very in-depth explanation. 😄
I would be a software engineer but unfortunately in a very different field... Maybe someone stumbles upon this and joins the show.
Nevertheless I'm looking forward to future updates, even if steps would be small.

In the mean time:
Has anyone found a good workaround for the very frequent logouts in the android app as well as for iOS PWA?
In my tests both of these platforms are affected. Only on the desktop browser I haven't experienced these logouts so far...
Thanks in advance.

[bishtawi]

Any chance there will be a new release soon? I would like to use #1164 without building Ntfy locally. Thank you.