r/signal • • Sep 16 '26

Beta Discussion Signal enables phone-numberless registration for Android beta users

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419 Upvotes

r/signal • • Sep 04 '26

Announcement Pushing your vibe-coded messenger will get you banned

772 Upvotes

A couple times each week, we get some rando pushing a new vibe-coded messaging app. These are presented as though they are finished, established products but have various red flags. Some of the common ones are:

  • Codebase is only months (or days) old
  • A single developer
  • Codebase has very few commits
  • No indication of the developer's security or cryptography bona-fides
  • No indication of security review by reputable external parties
  • No indication the developer is equipped to support and maintain production software

These projects are the very epitome of security-compromising suggestions (Rule 4).

If you look at the rules here, security-compromising suggestions are actually allowed, but you must be clear about what the security/privacy downsides are.

Pitching your educational, experimental project as though it is a professional-quality security tool can cause real harm to people.

It's great that you're building stuff and trying new things. Keep doing it. There's even room here in r/signal to show off your educational experiment, as long as you (a) tie the discussion to Signal and (b) participate in this sub more generally.

The moment you act like your experimental project is a serious, seasoned security tool, we will show you the door.


r/signal • • 1d ago

Blog Post WhatsApp profile picture that tells people to write me on Signal.

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404 Upvotes

I am using this profile picture to let all my contacts know that Signal exists as a great, privacy-focused alternative. If you want to help raise awareness and invite others to a safer platform, feel free to steal and use this profile picture for yourself.


r/signal • • 3h ago

Help Can this be hidden in my chats?

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0 Upvotes

I'm only talking with people I know, so this message is useless. Can I hide it?


r/signal • • 4h ago

Android Help Android linked device - restricting message history and impact to other devices?

0 Upvotes

Hello, my primary Signal account is on an iPhone. I just linked an Android device with small internal storage.

Can someone confirm that if I restrict the chat and media history on the Android device using this guide: https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360049673331-Storage-Management it will not affect the history stored on my primary iPhone (and other linked devices)?

In other words, are the settings above device-specific or do they impact the entire account?

Thanks!


r/signal • • 16h ago

Discussion When will iOS App get no number activation

2 Upvotes

Is there a timeframe by which Signal iOS app will get the feature of activating a new account without a phone number.

This would be one of the most important and consequential steps for better privacy.


r/signal • • 17h ago

Discussion Deleting account and making a new one with the same phone number?

0 Upvotes

So I have a friend who deleted their account like a month ago, and proceeded to make a completely new account but with the same number they used for their old account.

But it appears certain people were still able to message them even though they never exchanged their new user name? Does signal retain information on a phone number and links them up between accounts somehow?


r/signal • • 1d ago

Android Help Reinstalled Signal On my Phone and my PC App Has the Old Chat History. How do I Restore It To My Phone?

5 Upvotes

I tried to use the signal backup tools from this post which seems to not work with Backup V2 which is what I have. How can I restore my old chats, media, contacts etc. from my PC into my newly installed signal app?

I have a local backup saved on my PC transferred from my phone into the downloads folder currently. Is it possible to do this? I'd appreciate any and all help <3

EDIT: It is possible I may not have followed the instructions correctly as well or used an outdated version of the backuptools, I'm not sure

This is the error message I see.

r/signal • • 1d ago

Discussion Signal to Markdown into my Obsidian vault - Take 3!

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30 Upvotes

An exciting development but first some comtext.

4 years ago I created a Signal to Markdown tool which simulated another client device listening to my convos. It was quite complicated to setup and I had to re-associate the device every so often.

3 years ago I created another one that took CSV exports from Signal's SQLite database. The problem with that was I needed a seperate UI automation tool to download the media files. I've been using it successfully every Saturday morning since. Until...

Last week I stumbled upon the new JSONL export feature in Signal. It's been available since May and I didn't know! The amazing thing about this export is that it includes all of the media files too. So...

I vibe-coded (ugh, how I dislike that term) my 3rd and hopefully final tool called `signal_json_md` and it's working beautifully. It uses a couple of my other small repos `hal_md` and `message_md`.

Thanks for reading ๐Ÿค—.


r/signal • • 21h ago

Android Help how to turn off processing

0 Upvotes

is there any way I can turn off the processing because it takes a lot of time, like even for a video which is 5mb it takes a second to send but processing takes 10-15-20 seconds every time


r/signal • • 2d ago

Answered Am I using a Signal look alike?

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40 Upvotes

Do you guys think this person is onto something? Or are they just being paranoid?

Hopefully I'm not using a fake app... I'll answer questions.

edit: For people that didn't notice, that's the reddit chat, but that person told me I was using a posee just by the invite link so I thought the conversation was more important than my actual app. I wanted to see if I was missing anything, I don't think this person was onto anything and I have no idea where they got that information. I do know they're from India, kinda wierd.


r/signal • • 2d ago

Android Help Has Signal stopped working on emporia touchsmart 3?

2 Upvotes

Whenever I try to open Signal on my emporia touchsmart 3, the app crashes. I can max see it for a second.

I switched off my phone and switched it on again.

I have tried to delete the cache via aurora store.

I don't know what else to do.

I'm worried that if I delete the app, my connection to molly on my tablet will disappear and I won't be able to chat and use my old chats (which I have exported already)

Has Signal generally stopped working? That would be too unfortunate since I really need chatting options to talk to mz parents, I can't just go back to a smartphone without getting addicted again (I have tried for a few weeks but ofc I got addicted again) :/

First WhatsApp, now Signal. While WhatsApp ssaid itself in the app that it won't work, Signal doesn't even seem to open.

What other chatting (or phone alternatives) would you recommend for Germany?


r/signal • • 2d ago

Help Signal Storage Issues

3 Upvotes

Signal on Apple devices, beta user for many years. Struggling with storage space on Mac and iPad, looking for solutions please

Post with more details was removed, no idea why.


r/signal • • 2d ago

Help Unlink mobile number

4 Upvotes

Hello, is there a way to unlink my mobile number, now that you don't need one to have the app?


r/signal • • 1d ago

Beta Discussion Why would you do this?

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0 Upvotes

I am donating already every month. Signal, why do you tell me that I should donate? Edit: No, I am not pissed off by Signal. I just thought it's funny.


r/signal • • 2d ago

Help CAD number?

0 Upvotes

Someone texted e on signal saying this is their new CAD number. This was just after they changed their phone.

I am aware of safety number; but this CAD number is new to me and I could not find any info by searching online.

Cheers


r/signal • • 2d ago

Video Video issues

2 Upvotes

video calls are very fragmented on both Android and iPhone now when I call my wife it's not smooth when she moves or walks. It's blocky. If that makes sense. Anyone else experiencing this?


r/signal • • 2d ago

Android Help Voice message playback position occasionally not properly remembered

3 Upvotes

Sometimes when I pause playback and resume later, it doesn't properly resume.

Either it starts from the beginning or a few seconds up to a minute earlier.

Anyone with similar issues?

I use a Pixel 8 with the latest version of Signal and Android.


r/signal • • 3d ago

Feature Request Request for feature for pausing voice notes

15 Upvotes

I know that a lot of users are opposed to this but I find myself wishing there was a feature that would let users pause and resume a voice recording instead of only having the option to cancel or send the voice note. That's a big plus that WhatsApp has and I think it would make the user experience for people coming from WhatsApp even greater. I wonder if this is something the devs would ever consider.. I'm on iOS

Edit. Feature request was submitted by someone else already back in 2018. https://community.signalusers.org/t/pause-while-recording-voice-message/3357


r/signal • • 3d ago

Android Help Sending a voice message takes very long on Android

3 Upvotes

Noticed this on the latest release.

After recording and submitting, it takes over a minute on my Pixel 8 until the spinning wheel disappears and the message got sent.


r/signal • • 3d ago

Help Debuging Signal

0 Upvotes

Who is ThoughtCrimes.org? And why can't I use the call or video chat features on her iOS


r/signal • • 3d ago

Help Why would signal show one open check until the person opens it and then 2 white checks? Maybe notifications turned off or poor service on their end?

0 Upvotes

I keep noticing it happening with one person in particular and im wondering what it means


r/signal • • 4d ago

Discussion Messages taking forever to be delivered

14 Upvotes

Anyone else having this problem lately. It's taking sometimes on the order of hours for messages to be delivered.


r/signal • • 5d ago

Feature Request I am humbly begging for the ability to block voice notes

74 Upvotes

Please I hate them so much


r/signal • • 4d ago

Solved Syncing issue on Windows Desktop App

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4 Upvotes

I recently upgraded my phone (Android S21 to S25), which desync'd my Desktop App. The method I used was phone-to-phone transfer instead of using a backup or Signal Secure Backups (which is itself also enabled - specifically PAID version)

Upon reinstalling the desktop app, and then linking the desktop app, the syncing hits what appears to be the 1 month time period for media and then pauses further syncing unless manually prompted for each image/file/other (in which case it fetches).

I have tested this method 3 times, and it never used to be the case when you reinstalled the Desktop App version. I do not wish to manually click images, for many reasons

I am assuming it may be an issue with Signal Secure Backups (cloud)?
Is there a way to purge the cloud of media files, and re-upload?

EDIT:
The fix involved wiping the Signal Secure Backups, backing up again, then linking to a fresh install of Signal Desktop App. I assume this would not have been an issue should I have restored/transferred from Signal Secure Backups instead of the old phone.

Please consider implementing a fix for this, Signal :D