My life isn't so complicated I need multiple messaging services open at the same time, but yours may be.

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My life isn't so complicated I need multiple messaging services open at the same time, but yours may be.

Originally shared by ****

How Franz Became a 'Go To' App for Me

I used Trillian (https://www.trillian.im/) as a desktop messaging app for years, like 10 years. It saw accounts from AIM, to Yahoo!, to IRC, and then gChat come and go; finally it was simply down to Facebook and Google Hangouts, but there was a problem:

SMS Integration.

Most people with an Android device should be using Hangouts for their all encompassing, on-device, messaging app. Not Allo, not Messenger (either Google's or Facebooks), not WhateverApp... Is it encrypted? Yes, actually.

Seamless integration with communication services is pretty paramount, but when it came to SMS integration and Google Chat via Trillian/Adium/Pidgin, etc, the protocols weren't in place. So, out with Trillian, et al, and in with https://hangouts.google.com - right? Well; only so much that you get access to SMS and IM in one tab and that's handy, but there's something missing from that.

Accidental tab closure, passive notifications with an icon or title text change in the window, the potential for cross-over distractions when you're trying to focus on something in your browser... whatever the case may be for some, it just wasn't quite right for the way I wanted to use text-based communications on my system. Enter Franz.

This thing is a laser-focused browser, basically, but here's where it gets interesting:

It supports a boat-load of services and unifies them into a single tab-based interface, and it supports multiple accounts. Personal email vs. Work email in two tabs under one app signed in simultaneously? Check. WhatsApp, Facebook, Hangouts integration? Check. Subtle desktop notifications and/or a sound trigger on new messages? Check. Customization for labels and order of tabs? Check.

There's even Slack integration, which allows you to dump the Slack Desktop app all together and get the same, exact experience from Franz, with your email and IM's in one, tidy stack of horizontal tabby goodness.

Pretty neat.

If you're looking for a way to group your communications under one roof, not have it take up tabs in your "workspace" browser areas, and potentially be less distracting during your day-to-day:

http://meetfranz.com

Not affiliated with these guys, it's just useful to me, thought I'd share

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