Presence Management - user status

[bmarty]

API and documentation

https://matrix.org/docs/spec/client_server/latest#id62

Change SDK side

• Create a PresenceService
• Implement an API in PresenceService to set the status of the current user using https://matrix.org/docs/spec/client_server/latest#put-matrix-client-r0-presence-userid-status
• Implement an API in PresenceService to retrieve the status of any user using https://matrix.org/docs/spec/client_server/latest#get-matrix-client-r0-presence-userid-status
• Handle the presence update from the sync response (see https://matrix.org/docs/spec/client_server/latest#get-matrix-client-r0-sync):

  "presence": {
    "events": [
      {
        "content": {
          "avatar_url": "mxc://localhost:wefuiwegh8742w",
          "last_active_ago": 2478593,
          "presence": "online",
          "currently_active": false,
          "status_msg": "Making cupcakes"
        },
        "type": "m.presence",
        "sender": "@example:localhost"
      }
    ]
  },

• See how those data ^ can be stored in the session DB to be kept up to date. Probably a new Entity will have to be created (to be discussed)

Change application side

• Integrate the design update regarding presence: list of impacted screens to be defined

Presence supports by the homeserver

Note that matrix.org has disabled the presence management for performance reason.
We should avoid displaying (wrong) presence information if it's disabled on the homeserver, and we will be able to know that with matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals#1862

• In the mean time, we can use the local config to disable presence locally, based on the user homeserver URL as per https://github.com/vector-im/element-web/blob/develop/element.io/app/config.json#L28. The config file on Element Android is here

[BloodyIron]

Is this eventually going to enable things like "busy/DND/AFK" types of status? Would be nice to globally-mute alerts across my account and all devices logged into it, or equivalent.

[Sorunome]

The presence module also has a status_msg so that people could set a custom status.

Fluffychat supports this by now and it is really nice ^-^

[croulibri]

In my homeserver, presence management is activated.
In the new element Android App, I can't find anymore how to see presence of a specific user (is she/he online or not).
It would be really nice to have a "green dot" meaning the user is online, like on Element-desktop.

Is this function absent or have I missed something?

[ShadowJonathan]

@croulibri that function is definitely absent in Element/RiotX, imo it should replace the verified shield in the DM list, showing offline/online/etc, and having the E2EE shield be at the top bar of the conversation detail instead

[croulibri]

Thanks @ShadowJonathan for your detailed answer.
For the family usage we have, it is a step back as we use a lot the presence management to organise our calls.
I hope this feature will be back soon!
Congratulation for the excellent work done on Element and Matrix in general and good luck for implementing the missing features!

[BloodyIron]

Yeah I think it's coming time for presence to get revisited as a feature.

[BloodyIron]

So does closing this ticket mean Presence in Element is going to be coming back now or what? @ariskotsomitopoulos

[machisuji]

This is 2024 chiming in and presence would still be great to have. Right now people are changing their names to indicate status which is a very poor workaround creating a lot of noise.