Setup
With a huge list of possible client software, it’s hard to give complete setup instructions for everything. We’ll go into detail on some of the more popular options but if you’re somewhat familiar with XMPP in general or know your way around your software, here are the basic answers to some questions you’ll see often.
Account Type: some software supports many types of messaging services. If asked for the type, choose “XMPP” or “Jabber”.
Username: you chose this when you registered. Usually short and simple.
Domain: this is common to all accounts at a service provider. For ChinWag accounts, this will always be “chinwag.im”.
JID: some software may refer to a “JID” instead of a username. This is the combination of your username and the service domain name. A JID looks like “admin@chinwag.im“.
Password: also chosen by you at account creation. If you’ve forgotten your password you’ll need to contact us.
Recommended Software
All the software on this list has been tested and known to work with ChinWag at a basic level for text messaging. Support for additional features such as voice, video calling and file transfers may vary between clients, and we encourage reports of odd behaviour and incompatibilities to us.
Windows
- Swift – good, simple, uncomplicated client.
- Pidgin – supports many different chat protocols besides XMPP
Mac OS X
- Swift – good, simple, uncomplicated client.
- Adium – a good multiple-protocol application, similar in many ways to Pidgin
Linux
- Swift – good, simple, uncomplicated client.
- Pidgin – available also on Windows, a good all-around choice
Android
- Conversations – modern interface, simple setup, handles multiple accounts
- Xabber – free, also allows multiple accounts, runs well on older devices
- Yaxim – free, good support for security features
iOS
- Monal – voice call support, privacy focussed, great design