Signal for secure and private messaging: Everything you need to know about the app

Over the internet ditch WhatsApp, switch to Signal. That’s the route some users are taking in 2021 after WhatsApp updated its privacy policy which elaborates more on the data sharing with Facebook. In fact, the mass exodus caused some trouble as Signal’s servers were unable to handle the influx and verification codes were delayed, though
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Signal for secure and private messaging: Everything you need to know about the app

Over the internet ditch WhatsApp, switch to Signal. That’s the route some users are taking in 2021 after WhatsApp updated its privacy policy which elaborates more on the data sharing with Facebook. In fact, the mass exodus caused some trouble as Signal’s servers were unable to handle the influx and verification codes were delayed, though that issue appears to have been resolved. Add to that, Tesla CEO Elon Musk also issued a call to ‘Use Signal’ to his millions of Twitter followers.

But what is Signal? Well, it is a messaging app with a focus on privacy and has been around since 2014. Other famous endorsers of the app include Edward Snowden and former WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton.

Signal’s tagline is ‘Say Hello to Privacy’ and the service is end-to-end encrypted just like WhatsApp. In fact, WhatsApp uses the Signal protocol for its end-to-end encryption feature. But unlike WhatsApp, Signal is not owned by Facebook. We take a look at everything you need to know about Signal.

What is Signal?
Signal is a messaging app, available for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac and Linux. The app is developed by the Signal Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC and it is a non-profit company.

Who created the app?
The app was created by Moxie Marlinspike, American cryptographer and currently CEO of Signal Messenger.

The Signal Foundation was created by WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton and Marlinspike. Acton, who left WhatsApp back in 2017, has put in around $50 million to help with funding Signal.

Do you have to pay to use Signal?
The app is completely free to use. Signal lets users send messages, make audio and video calls with their friends, share photos, videos and links, similar to how other messaging apps work. In fact, it recently introduced the group video calling option in December 2020. One can also create groups on Signal, which are limited to 150 members.

What are the features?
If you do create a group, everyone is not automatically added to the group. People are sent an invite and they have to accept the invite to join the Group, unlike WhatsApp where someone who has your contact can often add you straight to a group. And unless you change the setting on WhatsApp, everyone can directly add to you a group.

Signal lets you individually reply to messages, send emoji-based reactions to a particular message, and even delete a particular message from the chat by choosing the ‘Delete for Everyone’ option. These are all features we’ve seen on other messages apps as well, including WhatsApp.

Signal also has a disappearing messages feature. You can set disappearing messages on for each individual chat and choose the time ranging from 5 seconds to one week.

But the focus of Signal is on privacy entirely. The app is not just about offering end-to-end encryption but chooses to collect minimal user data, without compromising on features.

Can you use Signal on a laptop or iPad?
Yes, you can use Signal on your iPad or laptop, and link the account to the one on your phone. However, chat history is not transferred when you do link. So what does this mean? Say you were using Signal on your iPhone and you link it to your Mac using the QR code feature. This can be found in the Linked Devices feature in the app’s settings. Your account will get synced to your Mac, but all previous conversations won’t appear on the Mac. That’s because all message history is stored on the individual device itself.

Can I backup my chats on Signal to Google Drive or iCloud?
No, unlike WhatsApp this is not possible. So if you lose access to your phone, and set up Signal once again on a new device, all previous chats will be gone.

What are some of the privacy features on Signal?
Signal has plenty of privacy-focused features. For one, Signal’s privacy settings have an option of ‘Relay Calls’ where the calls go through a Signal server to avoid revealing your IP address to your contact. But enabling this does reduce call quality, according to Signal, and might not be necessary for everyone.

It also offers the option to turn on or off Read Receipts, where someone can see when you have read their messages. It also gives an option to turn on or off typing indicators to show when a message is being typed. Plus there is no feature like Status as seen on WhatsApp, which can show when you are online.

Signal also lets users turn off link previews from websites if you send those in messages. There’s also a security PIN you can set up to keep your account safe. One can set PIN reminders to ensure that Signal keeps asking you for the same. Remember this PIN can’t be recovered if you forget it, though Signal does let you change it from the setting. If you forget the PIN though, you might lose access to your account. Signal also has a Screen Lock feature, where you can rely on Touch ID, FaceID or your iOS device’s passcode to access the app. However, incoming calls and message notifications can be answered even if the Screen Lock is enabled.