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System-wide/background push-to-talk (PTT) voice chat without registration or having to run my own server (to replace Discord)?

Jitsi Meet and Matrix are missing system-wide/background push-to-talk (PTT) (to replace Discord).

Tell Jitsi -> github.com/jitsi/jitsi-meet-electron/issues/210
Tell Matrix -> github.com/element-hq/element-web/issues/15284
Tell Element Call -> call.element.io (Settings > Feedback)
Tell SimpleX -> github.com/simplex-chat/simplex-chat/issues/2398

Alternatives (obviously must be cross-platform end-to-end encrypted libre software)?

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Instead of system wide PTT per-app you may consider some software that mutes your mic for all apps as PTT, then just leave the mic "active" per-app.

I don't know if a tool that will do this but on my mouse I have configured a mic mute toggle. So I push to start and stop. However technically I don't think there is any restriction to setting up PTT via this mechanism.

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I found https://github.com/cyrinux/push2talk implements this idea for proper PTT on all apps.

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This is what I do, works wonderfully, and most DEs have a readily configurable mute mic keyboard shortcut you can just put on whatever convenient macro key you want. Plus it doesn't even show you as muted in Zoom since it's done externally and it just knows it's getting silence.

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Many games ban always open mic, so this would create double push-to-talk, forcing me to hold two keys together to talk in-game.

If I do, how do others on Windows and macOS copy me? I want to spread my way and get them off Discord.

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Yeah, the nice thing about per-app is that you can configure it for each app separately. But I'll be honest that isn't something that I regularly do. If I am voice chatting with friends that will usually be a superset of what I want to send to a game's voice chat.

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I may try this for now, thank you. I am still looking for more simple solutions, so others can copy me easily.

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so this would create double push-to-talk, forcing me to hold two keys together to talk in-game.

Why not use the same key for the game and the local mic control? I used to have a single key to mute myself in mumble and talk in Overwatch, and it worked well. Does your OS prevent it?

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Those in both the call and game at the same time will hear everything, either from the call or game, as the mic is never mute everywhere.

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I think you've misunderstood again.

In my call, I left the mic open by default, and configured a key as push-to-mute.
In the game, I left the mic muted by default, and configured the same key as push-to-talk.

This way, I could speak on the call or in the game, but never both at once, and the my was not open by default in the game.

Edit: Oh, I think I figured out what your first sentence was supposed to mean. I think you want not only to choose between two voice chats (a game and a call) when talking, but also be muted in both by default so other sounds in the room won't be heard by anyone. Yes?

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Yes, with no key(s) held, the mic should be mute everywhere. Edited for clarity.

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Since you're collecting feature requests in various projects, here's one for Mumble/Murmur:

https://github.com/mumble-voip/mumble/issues/1813

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Fixing the Mumble's onboarding and then this is far more work than adding push-to-talk to Jitsi, Matrix or SimpleX.

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I feel like this violates the Unix philosophy. I think a dedicated program that handles unmuting the mic would be a better solution that solves this issue more generally.

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Jitsi, Matrix and SimpleX are cross-platform.

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Updated post to add:

Tell Jitsi -> github.com/jitsi/jitsi-meet-electron/issues/210
Tell Matrix -> github.com/element-hq/element-web/issues/15284
Tell SimpleX -> github.com/simplex-chat/simplex-chat/issues/2398

just_another_person

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You can't have e2e encrypted anything without identifying information about unique users. Nothing reasonably secure anyway.

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SimpleX does it but is missing push-to-talk, no email, no phone number, no username or password, no sign up needed.

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Email the devs, they're really responsive

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Great idea, actually found a similar issue on their GitHub.

just_another_person

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SimpleX still has devices as users, you just don't see it. If you're just talking about some random PTT voice chat or something, I haven't seen anything.

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you just don’t see it.

I want that with push-to-talk. Easier to get acquaintances and randoms to join, easy to spread.

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You can’t have e2e encrypted anything without identifying information about unique users.

SimpleX does it

No, it doesn't. It has IDs for unique users, but tries to mitigate the risks by keeping a separate set of IDs to use with each contact. (This is like having a separate Matrix/Jabber/Signal/whatever account for each contact.)

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no email, no phone number, no username or password, no sign up needed.

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Okay, that clarifies what you want, but SimpleX still doesn't do what @just_another_person said it can't do. You seem to have misunderstood them.

Also, what's with the downvotes? Do you expect people to spend their time trying to help you when you respond like that?

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No offense, votes help sort comments and we're moving off topic but your other comment is more useful, thanks again!

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You don't need e2ee when you run your own server. Mumble is super easy to set up.

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No one's going to setup a Mumble server of their own, even if they download Mumble just for me. After we're done talking they'll go straight back to Discord for everyone else.

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Mumble isn't call based. It works like Discord and has push to talk.

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Reworded:

No one’s going to setup a Mumble server of their own, even if they download Mumble just for me. After we’re done talking they’ll go straight back to Discord for everyone else.

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You can do it yourself and let them use it?

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This won't get them deleting Discord. It won't spread. I should just fix push-to-talk for myself externally, in PipeWire/WirePlumber, and keep promoting Jitsi, Matrix or SimpleX. If there's a way to do that on Windows and macOS too, that would be a better workaround.

Also, they won't get end-to-end encryption on my Mumble server, so I could still read all their private messages.

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Better than Discord reading them all and feeding them and their voice comm. into Discord's AI.

But look, if it was easy, we wouldn't have this discussion. Somewhere we need to start and hosting your own Mumble server is such a small start.

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Or use something better.

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What does system-wide push-to-talk mean?

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The web browser needs to be in focus for Jitsi keyboard shortcuts, push-to-talk. I want it in the background, with my computer game in focus, overriding the game's shortcuts. Push-to-talk opens the mic when a key is held: so they don't hear background shit when my mouth is shut.

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Ah, I see. I think I would describe that as background push-to-talk. "System-wide" implies something different to me.

I don't know of one off the top of my head, but I imagine desktop Matrix clients will start implementing this once native group voip (aka Element Call) is out of beta.

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I would describe that as background push-to-talk

Post title updated. Found Element Call, thanks.

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