In '@ - QWERTY ⌘' keyboard layouts, COMMAND-H does not hide application when a conversation is selected

[Complexity]

Using a supported version?

• I have searched searched open and closed issues for duplicates.
• I am using Signal-Desktop as provided by the Signal team, not a 3rd-party package.

Overall summary

Traditionally on Mac OS, using Command-H, the standard system-wide shortcut, will hide the current foreground app.

In Signal Desktop on Mac OS, when the app is in foreground and no conversation is selected, Command-H will perform as expected and hide the Signal app

However, upon selecting any individual chat by clicking in the middle pane, Command-H no longer responds and the app will not hide.

From this point forward, there is no way to deselect a chat, and so Command-H will never again function until the app is quit and restarted.

Steps to reproduce

1. Launch Signal Desktop on MacOS.
2. Before selecting any chat, use the Command-H shortcut and observe the app is hidden.
3. Switch back to the app to bring it to foreground and try a few times to confirm.
4. Select any chat.
5. Attempt to use the Command-H shortcut again. Observe the app does not hide.

Expected result

We would expect a system-wide shortcut to work and hide the app whether a chat were selected or not.

Actual result

The app ignores the Command-H shortcut and does not hide.

Screenshots

No response

Signal version

6.48.1

Operating system

MacOS 14.3.1

Version of Signal on your phone

6.46.7

Link to debug log

No response

[indutny-signal]

Hm... I don't think I can actually reproduce it, and I don't believe we have any shortcut that could interfere with it. Did it use to work for you before?

[Complexity]

This has never worked for us. However, after some more investigation, this is something of an edge case.

Specific To Certain Language Layouts

We use Dvorak - QWERTY ⌘ keyboard layout on our machines. This is a standard Dvorak layout for typing but when the Command key is pressed the keys revert to the physical keyboard layout.

1. If Signal is started in a standard keyboard layout (e.g. US), Command - H works correctly.
2. If Signal is started in Dvorak - QWERTY layout, Command - H produces the reported incorrect behaviour.
3. If Signal is started in standard layout and then switched to Dvorak - QWERTY, Command - H works as expected with chats selected.

Observed In Other Layouts

As the - QWERTY ⌘ layout is also available for certain other international keyboards (1) we investigated a different language. In this case, Bulgarian - QWERTY ⌘.

We can confirm that the behaviour is also present for this language layout.

This would suggest there is an issue with all - QWERTY ⌘ layouts.

Workaround

There is a workaround available in this issue, which would be to ensure that Signal is always started in a non-QWERTY ⌘ variant layout before switching back to the preferred working layout for the language. However this is not ideal.

1. At last count we saw 34 international language layouts with a -QWERTY ⌘ variant, including Arabic, Hindi, Russian and others.

[Complexity]

We can update the initial report for more specificity if preferred.

[indutny-signal]

Ah, got it. Thank you!