&gt; though it also has some advantages—it&#x27;s nice to be able to message someone not online<p>Just because you don&#x27;t require servers, doesn&#x27;t mean that you can&#x27;t have servers optionally as a relay. Your client tell would tell the clients of your contacts to send messages to a server specified by you when they can&#x27;t reach you directly. For instance the server could be run by the company behind the messaging app you&#x27;re using and could send you push notifications. You could still switch the server at will without loosing your identity.