How Can Open-Source Encrypted Messaging Implement Message Priority Levels?

An Overlooked Communication Pain Point

In an era where instant messaging is highly mature, open-source solutions like Signal and Matrix already meet the vast majority of private communication needs: end-to-end encryption, voice and video calls, media sharing — it's all there. However, a Reddit user raised a seemingly minor yet highly relatable request — he wanted to build a dedicated, near peer-to-peer communication tool for himself and his partner, with the core requirement being message priority levels.

His scenario is very specific: as a self-described "chatterbox," he loves frequently sending his partner interesting stories and daily updates. When his partner temporarily doesn't have their phone (say, out for the entire day), these messages can wait — no problem at all. But when he has something truly important to say, existing messaging apps can't highlight it or raise its priority on his partner's phone. All messages appear equal in the notification bar, and important information easily gets buried in casual chatter.

This need touches on a blind spot in modern instant messaging design: we have almost no way to label and differentiate the importance of messages.

Why Existing Open-Source Encrypted Messaging Solutions Fall Short

Signal and Matrix's Design Focus

The two major players in open-source messaging — Signal and Matrix — are both built around "security" and "decentralization."

Signal emphasizes ultimate privacy protection with a clean, restrained interface. Its design philosophy leans toward "subtraction," deliberately avoiding too many customization features, so it natively doesn't support message prioritization or tagging.
Matrix (via the Element client) is more flexible and open, supporting rooms, threads, custom bots, and integrations. It theoretically has the potential to extend message priority functionality, but requires users to put in the work themselves.

In other words, the "off-grid, direct tunnel to your partner" that the user wants is technically achievable with both Signal and Matrix, but message priority is the real gap.

Why Finding a "Perfect Fit" Open-Source Messaging Project Is So Hard

One comment from the user in his post rings particularly true: "You know how hard it is to find a fitting open-source project when you have a very specific idea of what you want."

This reflects a structural reality of the open-source ecosystem: open-source projects tend to solve general-purpose needs rather than highly personalized edge cases. The more specific and niche your requirements, the lower the probability of finding a ready-made match. This is why many specialized needs ultimately can only be met through secondary development or self-hosting.

Feasible Technical Approaches to Message Priority Levels

For the core pain point of "message prioritization," here are several paths worth exploring.

Approach 1: Custom Extensions Based on the Matrix Protocol

The openness of the Matrix protocol is its greatest advantage. Consider:

Using Matrix's Threads or tagging features to route important messages and casual chatter into different conversations or rooms. For example, create a dedicated "Important Matters" room where only truly urgent content is posted, with separate high-priority notification settings.
Using a Matrix Bot to implement custom logic that triggers different push notification priorities for messages containing specific keywords or tags.

Approach 2: Leveraging System-Level Notification Priority Mechanisms

Often the problem isn't the messaging app itself, but the phone's notification system. Both Android and iOS support differentiated notification levels for different apps and conversations (such as mute, banner, lock screen pop-up, etc.).

A pragmatic approach:

Use two separate conversations/channels to distinguish "casual chat" from "urgent";
On your partner's phone, set the "urgent channel" to the highest notification priority, even bypassing Do Not Disturb mode;
Set the "casual chat channel" to silent or low priority.

This "using two channels to simulate priority levels" approach is often far easier to implement than searching for the perfect software.

Approach 3: Self-Hosting a Lightweight Private Messaging Service

If the user has some technical ability, they can absolutely build a private messaging environment for just two people based on an open-source Matrix homeserver (such as Synapse or Dendrite) or an XMPP server. In such a closed environment, you're free to customize message types, priority tags, and push notification logic, truly realizing the vision of a "dedicated tunnel."

Design Philosophy of Instant Messaging, Viewed Through This Need

Though this post is small, it reflects a product question worth pondering: our layered management of information value has long been neglected by mainstream messaging apps.

Email has long had mechanisms like "important markers," "stars," and "priority inboxes," yet instant messaging is actually flatter in this regard. This perhaps stems from IM's real-time assumption — all messages are treated as "instant and equal" by default. But in reality, people's communication naturally has layers: casual chat, notifications, and urgent matters are all different.

For a couple hoping to have their own dedicated communication space, rather than struggling to find that "perfect open-source project," consider a different mindset:

Accept a combined approach: Use existing tools (Matrix / Signal + system notification settings) to piece together an experience close to ideal;
Embrace the freedom of self-hosting: If you have the technical ability, the open-source ecosystem gives you the possibility of customizing from scratch;
Re-examine the essence of the need: The real pain point is "distinguishing urgent from non-urgent" — the solution to this problem isn't necessarily a new piece of software.

Conclusion

Searching for an open-source encrypted messaging tool that perfectly matches your personal needs is often a journey destined to be difficult. But as this case demonstrates, identifying the core pain point — message priority levels — matters more than fixating on finding a ready-made product. The true value of open source lies not only in "ready to use out of the box," but in the freedom it gives everyone to reshape tools according to their own needs. For this chatty user and his partner, a dual-channel setup based on Matrix, combined with differentiated phone notification settings, might just be the closest thing to their ideal "dedicated tunnel."