Monal — XMPP Chat

This app is the most feature filled XMPP client for iOS. I’ve tried almost all of them and Monal is a cut above the rest. It certainly deserves more 5-star reviews which is why I am penning this one. Aside from one minor glitch, the app is stable , well integrated into the iOS ecosystem ie can share/send image files etc - it is a highly capable app and highly recommended.

This is in no way functionally comparable to Conversations on android but having tried ALL the recently updated xmpp text apps on iOS this is by far the best option Using the Conversations server as sender and recipient often there are huge delays for iOS clients on WiFi and Verizon 5G. Don’t give up on us.

works well

I can't login to my works xmpp server. Doesn't matter what I try or what they do. This doesn't work.

It keeps getting better! The new intro / settings pages look great!

Use jabber? Have iOS? Use monal p e r i o d. Recent iOS versions probably work extremely well. iOS: 16 does have a couple quirks, I think. Haven't zeroed it in. yet. Devs: I know I am using an ancient iOS version but my contacts and I have extreme trouble getting video calls to connect sometimes and they will drop randomly. It's likely a network issue, but we notice that if we use wired or no headsets, symptoms seem to subside and dissappear or, at very least, seem to help with initial connection speed and success rate. Not sure if we will ever upgrade from 16. not a big deal.

I had a mistaken view that there were no good XMPP options on iOS. Perhaps that was true before, but now it’s false. Additionally, the XMPP standards have added a lot of things to make the protocol very usable on mobile devices. Monal is good, usable, and actively developed. There are some minor UI issues but they are fixable, and a small trade off for a communications channel you actually have control over. This is one app I’ll be pushing my friends to use. Monal is open source which means you can have confidence that it can continue being updated for many years. I would consider this a significant strength for any software, but even more so on iOS which breaks apps once they are too old (guessing half of the iOS apps I’ve paid for don’t work/can’t be install anymore?)

Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to simply log into my account in Monal. My credentials are fine; they function perfectly on a web browser. The problem is with Monal. Hour+ of troubleshooting and I got nowhere. Don’t waste your time.