Talk to Micro from Conversations.im: an assistant in your chat app

You can now talk to Micro from Conversations. Add your Micro account, start a chat with agent@micro.mu, and send a message.

Micro has a built-in XMPP server. Conversations is the client on your phone. That means you can use an existing messaging app to reach your assistant.

A reason to try Conversations

Daniel Gultsch, the developer behind Conversations, recently published Breaking Up with Google Play: Why Conversations Is Now Free.

He describes repeated update rejections, removals and long review delays, with little access to meaningful support. Conversations had already been available free through F-Droid; F-Droid is now its primary distribution channel, with reproducible builds signed using his own key. Grant funding has made him less dependent on Play Store sales.

It is worth reading his account in full. Maintaining useful software should not depend on persuading an opaque approval system to let you ship an update.

That concern also informs our approach to Micro. Micro is a progressive web app, or PWA: you can use it in your browser and install it on your home screen where your browser supports it. We can deliver updates on the web without an app-store review cycle. And when an existing app is a better fit, open protocols let us meet you there.

Connect your Micro account

You need a Micro account and Conversations installed on your Android phone. See the Conversations F-Droid listing for the free app.

Create a chat token. Sign in to Micro. Under Clients, open Client setup, then use Create chat token in the Chat (XMPP) section. Give it a recognisable name, such as “Conversations on my phone”, and copy the generated token.
Add an existing account in Conversations. Use the XMPP username shown in Micro’s connection details, such as yourname@micro.mu. Paste the token into the password field. Use the token rather than your normal Micro login password. You do not need to register a separate account with the conversations.im hosting service.
Connect securely. Conversations should discover the server settings automatically. If you need to enter them manually, follow Micro’s connection details: the hosted setup uses micro.mu, port 5223, with direct TLS. A self-hosted installation may use a different hostname. Do not switch to an unencrypted connection to work around a connection problem.
Start a chat with agent@micro.mu. Keep OMEMO encryption enabled. If Conversations asks you to verify Micro’s identity, compare its fingerprint with Verify Micro’s OMEMO fingerprint in Micro’s Chat connection details.

That is it: Micro is now a contact you can message.

What do you say?

Start with something small:

I have an hour before my next meeting. Help me work out what to focus on.

Or ask for something useful while you are away from your browser:

Find a few sources explaining this topic and save the useful links.

Remind me to call the dentist tomorrow at 10am.

The conversation reaches Micro through your account. Micro can use the services available to your assistant to help with the request. Conversations is free to install; Micro’s usual usage and pricing still apply.

What the encryption protects

OMEMO encrypts the messages between Conversations and Micro’s assistant endpoint, including Micro’s replies. Micro decrypts your message so it can answer, and relevant content may be sent to its model provider. This is not a promise that the assistant’s operator or model provider cannot read your request.

The setup described here is your Micro account chatting with Micro. It does not imply support for every Conversations feature, such as calls or encrypted group chats.

Treat the chat token as a password. If you lose the phone or stop using the app, revoke that token under Account → Tokens.

Use the interface that fits

Sometimes you want Micro’s web app, with your inbox, calendar and reading in one place. Sometimes you just want to send a message from your phone.

A PWA and an XMPP server give us both: an interface we can improve directly, and a way to use Micro through software you already like.

Create a Micro account, or open Client setup to connect Conversations.