MAS migration unleashes Element X on Matrix.org

On Monday, Matrix.org (a free Matrix public server) started running Matrix Authentication Service (MAS), the next generation authentication system based on OAuth 2.0/OpenID Connect.

This is a major leap forward for Element as it means that Element X users on Matrix.org can now finally benefit from all the security and usability benefits of next gen auth, paving the way for QR-code login, 2FA, MFA and more! It’s also great news for the Matrix ecosystem as a whole, and it’s the first part of Matrix 2.0 to be approved for merge to the spec and available on Matrix.org as a stable API!

Element is proud of our role in bringing ‘next gen auth’ to life in the form of Matrix Authentication Service (MAS). In fact MAS began life nearly four years ago when Quentin Gliech joined Element with a mission to completely rethink authentication in Matrix - this truly has been a labour of love from the first commit in June 2021 to today’s rollout on Matrix.org. Huge congratulations to Element staffers Quentin, Hugh, Olivier and many other contributors. For those wanting a deep dive, watch Quentin’s OpenID Connect presentation at Matrix Conference.

Element X for Matrix.org users!

With MAS having landed on the Matrix.org server, next generation authentication in Element X is finally unleashed for Matrix.org users. This means that Element X is now by far the best way to manage your Matrix.org account on mobile. For instance, password reset and device management is now best done on Element X: the classic app is now the one using compatibility APIs.

So for those using the free Matrix.org public server, this is a great time for users of ‘classic Element’ to switch over to Element X (for the full details on Element X watch the Element X launch at Matrix Conference). Existing users of ‘classic Element’ can simply download the Element X app, log-in and start using Element X with all their chat history in place. We’ve already seen a huge spike in Element X account creation downloads for both iOS and Android. This is the beginning of the 'MASs migration' to Element X (apologies for that truly awful wordplay!).

This now means that the only reason to use the 'classic Element' app on mobile is if you depend on features which don’t yet exist in Element X (Threads, Spaces, Widgets, legacy VoIP calling or live location share). And even then, you may be better off running both apps side by side and using 'classic Element' only when needed, given Element X is now better in all other ways! Meanwhile, we’re hard at work bringing Threads into matrix-rust-sdk and Element X, and bridging the remaining gaps.

What does this mean for classic Element users?

The outgoing Element mobile app (‘classic Element’) will remain available in the app stores until at least the end of 2025, to ensure a smooth transition. We are adding a notification inside the classic Element app to inform users trying to create a new account that they need to switch to download Element X. For the avoidance of doubt, the classic Element app and the Element X app can be used in parallel for now. That said, the classic app will eventually become unsupported so we recommend upgrading to Element X as it provides an infinitely faster, more reliable and more secure experience. 

What does this mean for Element’s customers?

Element’s customers do not use the free Matrix.org public server, so this blog post is not applicable to them. Customers that use the classic Element app should already be in touch with us to discuss how best to migrate to Element X.

A demonstration of Element’s Matrix expertise

Element is proud to manage Matrix.org - the world’s largest known Matrix deployment - on behalf of the Matrix Foundation. We conducted Matrix.org’s migration to MAS, shifting 45M access tokens from Synapse to MAS in under 30 minutes, peaking at migrating over 400K accounts per second(!). This experience in efficiently operating enormous Matrix servers at scale is exactly what governments ask for when they issue their tenders. Element is the only company in the world that has this level of Matrix expertise, as well as being the creators of Matrix.

What should I take away from this blog post?

If you’re using Matrix.org, go get Element X and use it as your main Matrix client!

;-)