Signal PINs can be as long and complex as you like, including letters as well as digits, if that’s what you prefer, but you can safely use a short PIN if you want something that’s easy to remember and doesn’t need writing down, an act that could be a risk for some Signal users. Signal aims to be easy and safe to use for everyone, which is why it hasn’t insisted on using long and hard-to-remember “recovery codes”. This irony isn’t lost on Signal, and it has just announced a new feature called Signal PINs that allow you to keep control of your account even if you lose your phone or are forced to switch numbers and can’t get your old one back. There’s something even less appealing about the worry that you could be locked out of your own account simply by losing the right to the phone number you used for the account.
Indeed, getting hold of an “anonymous” SIM card, or using an improperly registered one, is a criminal offence in some jurisdictions.Īnd there’s something unappealing about entrusting your identity on a secure online service (one that prides itself on immunity to surveillance) to a cryptographic chip that must by law be registered with a central authority so it can keep tabs on you via that same chip. You need to use a working phone number that really is yours.īasing the identity of accounts on a phone number makes a lot of sense, not least because a phone number is something you can easily and cheaply acquire in many countries, and it guarantees that the user has a satisfactory way of verifying their identity.īut in some countries, getting hold of a phone number isn’t an easy process, and may involve proving not only your identity but also your address. We’ve never bothered with Signal for the reason that signing up means handing over your phone number.Ĭonveniently, a phone number is all you need to sign up, but you can’t sign up with your name instead, or with an email address. Signal, however, has one curious aspect that puts some people off, this author included. (With apologies to well-known cryptographers Bruce Schneier and Matt Green, who are two of Signal’s other celebrity endorsers.) Snowden is quoted on Signal’s website with the five simple words, “I use Signal every day.” Signal is also endorsed by a privacy celebrity that other IM service providers can’t match, namely Edward Snowden. Signal not only has no desire, but also has no need, to take any interest in what you’re saying, or whom you’re saying it to. …which means that there’s a much more compelling reason to believe the organisation when it claims to have an unbending focus on end-to-end encryption.
#SIGNAL MESSENGER WINDOWS PHONE HOW TO#
Sharing information about you with third parties isn’t part of Signal’s business model, so there’s actually no point in it figuring out how to do so… Signal is a US-registered non-profit organisation that was founded entirely around making and supporting the messaging app.Īs a result, Signal’s big selling point is, well, that it isn’t selling anything. WhatsApp belongs to Facebook, Skype is part of Microsoft, and iMessage is owned by Apple, but the open-source app Signal belongs, inasmuch as it belongs to anyone, to Signal. That difference – or at least its major difference – is simple: it’s not owned and operated by an industry behemoth. Signal is a popular instant messaging (IM) app with a difference. (In fact, as this article explains below, you can’t.) This article is not a “howto” list of tricks for skipping any of the steps in Signal’s official account setup process, such as deliberately bypassing the part where you have to put in a phone number. If you’re just getting started with Signal, here’s a quick step-by-step guide to help you get started.Note. The interesting thing about using Signal on the desktop is that, unlike WhatsApp and Telegram, you have access to all of the features (video call, audio call, disappearing messages, etc.) available on the mobile version. Your contacts, groups, and chat history will be linked with your desktop app immediately. Finally, type in your preffered device name and then tap Finish linking phone from your desktop.Tap Link Device after scanning the QR Code.Next, tap the + icon and give Signal permission to use phone camera.Tap on the profile icon in the top-left corner of the app.Open the Signal app on your smartphone.
This is what you’ll need to scan to link your account
#SIGNAL MESSENGER WINDOWS PHONE INSTALL#
Related: WhatsApp vs Signal: Features Comparisonįirst, you’ll need to download and install Signal on your computer.
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