u/MrRayAnders

Native Desktop Apps - coming soon?

BEFORE YOU READ: the sudden wave of downvoting implies that users do not want native desktop apps. This is simply not true. We absolutely want native apps. The scale of this undercover downvoting is mind-blowing.

Main Post:

I previously shared a post about the need for native desktop applications for Proton Mail and Proton Pass, focusing primarily on CPU and RAM consumption issues with the current Electron-based setup: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1t9y542/proton_desktop_apps_are_electronbased_not_cool/

Since then, another post and article by u/pascalschaerli titled "Proton's Crypto Is Not Transparent and Not Opaque" has brought attention to security vulnerabilities associated with Electron applications: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1udieku/protons_crypto_is_not_transparent_and_not_opaque/

These two discussions taken together make it clear that the Electron compromise is no longer sufficient. The combination of poor resource efficiency and potential security exposure means that developing proper native desktop apps should be treated as a necessity, not simply a preference.

While the web versions do offer some relief on the performance front, they don't adequately address the underlying security concerns raised in the linked discussion. For users who expect both good performance and genuine privacy protection, there is no substitute for properly built native desktop applications at this point.

In short, moving away from Electron toward native builds isn't a luxury anymore. It’s a requirement.

EDIT: It seems that a Volunteer Mod immediately took a defensive position, citing a reply from Proton dating back 147 days. The mod added that “no update available means there's no new information and/or ETA to share.”

This comment implies that there has been no progress on this at all, which I genuinely hope is not the case.

The intentional downvoting of my comments below says a lot about some of the mods and other users behind/in charge of this sub. You think other users don’t see that?

I think it would be in the interest of most users if Proton could finally confirm if there has been any progress with the development of native desktop apps.

reddit.com
u/MrRayAnders — 3 days ago

“Disable alias” in ProtonMail is utterly misleading

The ProtonMail desktop/browser version has this 'magic' button, 'Disable alias,' which implies that you can disable the alias you've received an email for.

Right? Wrong!

Instead, this button (upon clicking) prompts you to unsubscribe from the sender, which is a completely different action.

Why can't 'Disable alias' simply disable that alias?

Instead, I have to go to Proton Pass or SimpleLogin, find that alias and disable it manually.

This is completely bonkers!

u/MrRayAnders — 2 months ago

Proton desktop apps are electron-based = NOT cool

ProtonMail, ProtonPass and ProtonMeet desktop apps are exclusively electron-based apps.

When run simultaneously, they consume significantly more resources than equivalent native apps.

For the context:

3 Proton Apps (Electron)~750 MB – 1.2 GB RAM usage

3 Native Apps (e.g., Apple Mail + Passwords + FaceTime) ~150 MB – 300 MB RAM usage.

These apps drain battery and bring their own heavy overhead for memory and CPU.

Is Proton planning development of the native apps for Windows and MacOS?

reddit.com
u/MrRayAnders — 2 months ago