Mastodawn

Signal Feb 20, 2024

Introducing usernames and phone number privacy on Signal!

We’re making it possible for people to connect with each other without having to share phone numbers. Now launching to beta users, available for everyone soon.

https://signal.org/blog/phone-number-privacy-usernames

Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames

Signal’s mission and sole focus is private communication. For years, Signal has kept your messages private, your profile information (like your name and profile photo) private, your contacts private, and your groups private – among much else. Now we’re taking that one step further, by making your...

Signal Messenger

1. New default: Your phone number will no longer be visible in Signal
2. You can create an optional username to connect without sharing your phone number
3. You can enable a new, optional privacy setting to require people to connect with you via username instead of phone number

Signal Feb 20, 2024

A Signal username isn't the profile name that’s displayed in chats, and isn't visible to the people you chat with on Signal. A username is simply a way to initiate contact on Signal without having to share your phone number. (You still need a phone number to sign up for Signal.)

Signal Feb 20, 2024

Create a username by going to your Settings > Profile. Your username must be unique, and can be changed at any time.

Signal Feb 20, 2024

To connect with someone via username instead of phone number, type their exact, unique username.

Signal Feb 20, 2024

We’re launching these updates to our beta users now, and will be turning them on for everyone running the latest version of the Signal app soon. Our goal is to listen to your feedback, make adjustments, and ensure phone number privacy on Signal is easy and useful for everyone.

Signal Feb 20, 2024

You can sign up for beta to test these features. Note that Apple caps the number of iOS beta testers, and we have reached that limit. If you use Signal on iOS, you can get around this by signing up for Desktop beta, linked to your iOS account. See more: https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007318471-Signal-Beta

Bytebro 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 🇬🇱Feb 20, 2024

@signalapp Hello Signal. Is it still the case that Signal no longer functions as a 'normal' SMS app? Loved it when I could use Signal for that as well as secure comms.

mosttoast Feb 20, 2024

@bytebro @signalapp that hasn't worked for months... (a year maybe?) doubt it's ever coming back.

Kauffy Feb 20, 2024

@mosttoast @bytebro
I thought they deliberately got rid of it because it can't be secure, and then it dilutes what the app is recognized for.

Bytebro 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 🇬🇱Feb 20, 2024

@kauffy @mosttoast Sure, I get that and I'm not criticising them at all, but it was great having a tidy app which did both...

mosttoast Feb 20, 2024

@bytebro @kauffy @kauffy
I get why they made a decision, imo when it comes to the network effect of 'which app do i use for e2e messaging?' most people already use whatsapp, so now i have 3 apps, and guess which 2 i use the most? the 2 everyone else already uses. it was nice having the signal exist as a 'default sms drop in replacement' but now it exists as a whatsapp replacement. I digress anyway, guess It still bothers me. hope it works out well for them, truely.

Kauffy Feb 20, 2024

@bytebro @mosttoast
Agreed. At the time, I think I didn't mind, because the SMS part (iirc) was underfeatured. Since ditching SMS, Signal has come along nicely as a chat app. Narrowing focus helps, I guess. Why isn't there a phone Trillian?

ckrypto Feb 20, 2024

@bytebro
Yes, SMS was removed, and for good reason.
https://signal.org/blog/sms-removal-android/
https://signal.org/blog/signal-is-for-everyone/

Removing SMS support from Signal Android (soon)

For many years, the Signal app on Android has supported sending and receiving plaintext SMS and MMS messages in addition to Signal messages. SMS and MMS are standardized communication protocols that allow mobile devices to send and transmit messages, and most people picking up their phone to text...

Signal Messenger

dragonfrog Feb 20, 2024

@ckrypto @bytebro

Everything is a tradeoff innit.

Yes, they had good reasons to remove it, but they also had good reasons to keep it, and had to choose between the two sets of good reasons.

Personally I think the reasons to keep it were better than the reasons to get rid of it, but hey it's not my company...

dragonfrog Feb 20, 2024

@bytebro @signalapp

Yeah, I basically don't use Signal since they killed that feature.

I don't have the mental space to remember which people use Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. etc.

When I could use Signal as the one app for sending text messages, and it would know to send secure ones to people who also used Signal, I sent a decent percentage of my text messages securely.

Now I just send 100% SMS because the app that always works isn't Signal anymore.

gunstick Feb 21, 2024

@bytebro @signalapp because you assume that SMS with Signal is secure but that in fact it is totally not, this feature was removed.

@signalapp
This is cool. Just tried it out.

Couldn't get why I have a digit on my username (@myusername.35) ?

Satya Siba Nayak Feb 20, 2024

@falsafa @signalapp
It's cause they want to add a security feature kind of and many more people with same username

@Satya8806 @signalapp I see

Satya Siba Nayak Feb 20, 2024

@falsafa @signalapp
You can join here If you want to its an Unofficial signal community https://signal.group/#CjQKIGLY9xAH9BQaWynrOlPCx0Owi3d8BZ4o1Ruiok2219NdEhBkUMCFuIWbjoag1V59tKDv
Make sure to hide your phone number before joining in privacy settings

Signal Messenger Group

Follow this link to join a group on Signal Messenger.

@Satya8806 @signalapp Thanks,
I think I will peep in

David - Forking Mad Feb 20, 2024

@signalapp Excellent. Thanks.

It's been the reason I have not used #Signal, as I don't always want to share my mobile number

I do not like the requirement for two digits at the end of a username. Messy 😕 It should be a choice.

Drew Feb 21, 2024

@daj @signalapp we'd run out of usernames eventually

David - Forking Mad Feb 21, 2024

@Drew @signalapp
Like any service! Optional digits or be more creative with the username.

So many people will use their birth year, or date. Which I think is a step towards a security risk

Drew Feb 21, 2024

@daj @signalapp once a username is created it can never be used again but you can move on to another. Eventually putting digits at the end will be mandatory anyway as all usernames would be used up.

David - Forking Mad Feb 21, 2024

@Drew @signalapp Yeah, like any service. 😉
Using your argument, in theory, two digits is not enough. There are more than 99 Davids I would bet. LOL We're very common

Drew Feb 21, 2024

@daj @signalapp you can have up to 4 digits and as they get used it'll expand

David - Forking Mad Feb 21, 2024

@Drew @signalapp Only lets me type two.

Anyway, we are where we are with it. I'm not a fan but I am a nobody, just a user.

UPDATE: I mis-understood the error. I entered 001 and it rejected, however it's actually rejected a double zero (oddly), and I can use more digits.

Not that I know anyone on Signal to message! LOL

Skyper 💻🎧☕📖Feb 24, 2024

@daj @signalapp @Drew "a choice intended to help keep usernames egalitarian and minimize spoofing. Usernames can be changed as often as you like, and you can delete your username entirely if you prefer to no longer have one."

"Usernames in Signal are designed to be easily changeable. For example, you can make a username to connect with people at a conference or to plan a group trip. Then, when it’s over, change it if you want to."

https://signal.org/blog/phone-number-privacy-usernames/

Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames

Signal’s mission and sole focus is private communication. For years, Signal has kept your messages private, your profile information (like your name and profile photo) private, your contacts private, and your groups private – among much else. Now we’re taking that one step further, by making your...

Signal Messenger

Pierre Feb 21, 2024

@signalapp will you have any more test flight spots?

olyavi Feb 21, 2024

@signalapp
It is a good start but not enough! I think signal without any phone number ( example registration ) will be better privacy choice.

@signalapp Will people still be able to find me via my phone number if I want them to?

Ian Littman Feb 20, 2024

@Magess @signalapp yep (covered in the post)

Unnamed TNG skant beefcake Feb 29, 2024

@signalapp Hey just fyi, there doesn't appear to be any way to rename or annotate contacts that are added without a phone number because I can't just change them in my Contacts

This means that when I have 4 Mike's with no avatars and the message history has disappeared, there's literally no way to distinguish my good friend Mike that I don't talk to very much and the abuser Mike that I can't just block

This is a dangerous design decision

Unnamed TNG skant beefcake Feb 29, 2024

@signalapp (Also "turn disappearing messages off" isn't a solution, because periodically I need to delete my entire Signal history because it fills up my phone and there's no way to manage Signal disk usage on iOS)

Mr. Completely Feb 20, 2024

@signalapp thank you. This is an excellent change, long awaited and very welcome.

Black Metal Stu🇺🇦🇮🇱Feb 20, 2024

@signalapp
Is the feature live jet? I'm using Signal, Betaversion all available updates installed. How do I set a username for my account?

Wilf K 🇬🇧 🇨🇦Feb 20, 2024

@signalapp Finally....

nictakiego Feb 21, 2024

@signalapp Thats cool, but it would be even cooler if you haven't required phone number at all (even for registration).

Nicky S.Feb 21, 2024

@signalapp Can't wait for this feature. Too bad I'm not a beta tester.

Mario Bariša Feb 21, 2024

@signalapp this is so cool and genuinely useful

@signalapp I’m curious about the wording „a username“ does that mean we may expect multiple usernames that can be created and deleted as liked in the future? The current UI does only seem to be focused on one Username. 🙁

Alex Hart Feb 20, 2024

@dns13 @signalapp one at a time.

Aaron has moved Feb 27, 2024

@dns13
It is covered fairly well in the blog:
'Usernames in Signal are designed to be easily changeable. For example, you can make a username to connect with people at a conference or to plan a group trip. Then, when it’s over, change it if you want to.'
So I think it is one at a time, but only used to connect, so you can change it easily.
@signalapp

Zorzenca Feb 20, 2024

Done.

forekickerofwaterquarter Feb 20, 2024

@signalapp Will this be changed in the future for people without a phone? Anyways, still waiting for the outcome of european #chatcontrol.

Landsil Feb 20, 2024

@signalapp
Is there a chance in future we will be able to make 2nd account without a phone number but with API access?

I would love to be able to use signal so send myself notifications from self hosted services.

@signalapp THAT IS LITERALLY THE PROBLEM!!!!

https://infosec.space/@kkarhan/111965203762428237

Do you really understand WHY I won't udlse #Signal or any other #centralized #SingleVendor / #SingleProvider chat service??

It's bcause at best your setup is endangering people if not a #Metadata harvesting scheme that is being tolerated due to massive amounts of data it provides to U.S. #INTEL as per #CloudAct!

Kevin Karhan (@[email protected])

@[email protected] WHY DID YOU EVEN COLLECT, STORE AND USE #PhoneNumbers IN THE FIRST PLACE?? It's bad and you used said info to enforce #cyberfacist bs. and restricted availability of features to people based off their number! Also phone numbers are never free to obtain and often not possible.to obtain anonymoisly in any legal way, so using them is inherently bad!!!

Infosec.Space

Joshua Crawford has moved Feb 20, 2024

@signalapp
I have two reasons that I do not use signal.
1. You require my phone number. You do not need my personal identifying information. As long as you require information about me that you do not need, I will not trust that you are as secure as you claim to be.
2. You do not use a federated system. If I could set up my own signal server and communicate with friends on your server, I would be more willing to trust the end to end encryption.

Rob Gilton Feb 20, 2024

@signalapp so I can only have one "username" at a time, or many?

Drew Feb 21, 2024

@rgilton @signalapp one at a time but as many as you want total. You have to destroy the first one permanently before you get another

Rob Gilton Feb 21, 2024

@Drew @signalapp ok, and when one changes one's username, do the existing chats continue? If they do, do the people in them see the new username?

Drew Feb 21, 2024

@rgilton @signalapp the people you give your username to never really see the username after they connect in Signal. They see your signal profile name.

高一 Feb 21, 2024

Why we still need a phone number to sign up?
Why not using just a username??

pcfascist Feb 21, 2024

@signalapp I hope this changes in the future. Today with the beta the group chats I'm in still exposes the phone number of people in the group. Only displaying/using the username would be more privacy focused.

Wandering Thinker Feb 21, 2024

You still need a phone number to sign up for Signal

When you remove this too, be'll good messenger. 😀

nawan Feb 21, 2024

@wthinker @signalapp I think the phone number was hardcoded from the beginning.

@signalapp WHY DID YOU EVEN COLLECT, STORE AND USE #PhoneNumbers IN THE FIRST PLACE??

It's bad and you used said info to enforce #cyberfacist bs. and restricted availability of features to people based off their number!

Also phone numbers are never free to obtain and often not possible.to obtain anonymoisly in any legal way, so using them is inherently bad!!!

one2seven Feb 22, 2024

@kkarhan @signalapp I was going to say the same - when no need phone number anymore?

Adam Wysokiński Feb 20, 2024

@signalapp 🍻