How to Use Signal Encrypted Messaging

(Note: Android users tin entree Signal’s Settings paper either by tapping their illustration icon oregon selecting the paper nether the 3 dots successful the upper-right corner, past tapping Settings. iOS users volition request to pat their illustration icon and past Settings to entree the afloat menu.)

On Android, you tin marque Signal your default messaging app by going to Settings > Apps & notifications > Advanced > Default Apps > SMS app, and picking Signal. Just retrieve that not everyone you substance has it installed and that an iOS idiosyncratic you’re texting with mightiness cheque their Signal app little often than they bash iMessage. (iOS inactive doesn’t fto you alteration the default messaging app, sorry!)

Once you've registered your Signal account, you tin prime a username if you determine to bash so. (For maximizing your privacy, WIRED recommends that you do.) Simply spell to Settings and pat connected your Profile astatine the apical of the settings page. Select the @ field and acceptable your username, which indispensable beryllium unsocial and see 2 oregon much numbers astatine the end. You tin alteration your username astatine anytime.

A payment of having a Signal username is that you tin take to forestall different Signal users from seeing your telephone number, and you tin forestall radical from uncovering you connected Signal if they already cognize your number. To alteration these options, spell to Settings > Privacy > Phone Number and prime Nobody nether Who Can See My Number and/or Who Can Find Me By Number.

One of the astir captious settings to alteration is illustration PINs, which volition marque it easier for you to support your relationship information adjacent erstwhile you transportation devices and to support your interaction lists, illustration information, settings, and more. You tin acceptable 1 up erstwhile you articulation oregon caput to Privacy > Signal PIN successful your app settings to acceptable oregon alteration yours anytime. The instauration of PINs was arguable among cryptography hard-liners, who questioned whether the alleged Secure Value Recovery they were tied to introduced imaginable vulnerabilities. It didn’t assistance that Signal had astatine archetypal made the PINs mandatory. You tin opt retired present by going to the Create PIN surface and tapping Select more, past Disable PIN. Just retrieve that if you bash so, you won’t beryllium capable to bring your contacts with you to a caller device, and delicate relationship accusation whitethorn beryllium much vulnerable.

Lastly, erstwhile you person your PIN acceptable up, alteration Registration Lock by going to Settings > Account and toggling connected Registration Lock. With this diagnostic enabled, attackers won’t beryllium capable to instrumentality implicit your relationship and registry it to a caller instrumentality successful the mode they did done the Twilio hack mentioned above.

Protect Your Screen

It’s important to marque definite that what happens successful Signal stays successful Signal. This means keeping radical from seeing what you’re doing determination from a fastener surface oregon erstwhile switching apps. There’s not overmuch constituent successful having an app for delicate messages if they conscionable popular up connected your show whenever you person one.

To crook disconnected Signal fastener surface notifications connected iOS, spell to your phone’s Settings > Notifications, past scroll down and pat Signal > Show Previews > Never. On Android, the process is similar. From your location screen, caput to Settings, past Apps & Notifications, wherever you tin crook disconnected each notifications. If you request much granular control, you tin find that successful the Signal app itself, wherever the steps are the aforesaid nary substance what level you’re on. Tap your profile, past Notifications, past Show, wherever you tin take whether to show the name, content, and actions for an incoming text; conscionable the name; oregon thing astatine all. You tin besides mute notifications for a circumstantial speech for a acceptable magnitude of clip by tapping connected a connection thread, past the interaction header, and past Mute. You tin soundlessness a contact’s notifications for an hour, a day, a week, oregon a year.