Signal

Coming soon: When you add a linked device (Desktop or iPad), bring your whole chat history + last 45 days of media. The transfer process is end-to-end encrypted & completely optional.

Don't want to leave the past behind? We leave you to your own devices.

https://signal.org/blog/a-synchronized-start-for-linked-devices/

A Synchronized Start for Linked Devices

With Signal on Desktop and iPad, you can link your primary Android or iOS account with another device, letting you check and respond to messages in both places or conduct video meetings and calls from the comfort of a bigger screen. Signal’s upcoming beta releases will also introduce the option t...

Signal Messenger
Jan 27, 2025 at 6:47pmWeb
Show threadbedouinJan 27, 2025
@signalapp this is so needed! Thank you
Show threadMenhera LexiJan 27, 2025
@signalapp took long enough
Show threadAlexandro Lacadena πŸ“·Jan 27, 2025
@signalapp awesome!!!
Show threadFrance Pasquale πŸ“· 🦻 Jan 27, 2025
@signalapp at least! πŸ™
Show threadNuno DantasJan 27, 2025
@signalapp can I have a linked android phone also?
Show threadAlexanderMarsJan 27, 2025
@ndantas @signalapp yes to this
Show threadfs111Jan 27, 2025
@ndantas @signalapp yes, please!
Show threadBrett CannonJan 27, 2025
@fs111 @ndantas @signalapp Yes, please! I want it for my tablet.
Show threadSebastiaan Ammerlaan πŸ‡³πŸ‡±Feb 4, 2025

@brettcannon @fs111 @ndantas @signalapp @OtterMatic @TLisaB @Understress81 @ditol @geoff_eg @NullAchtFunfzehn
@NadCee

For those not in the know: the Signal fork, #molly, does allow linking a second #Android device! I use it with my #tablet and it works pretty much flawlessly. You can just export your chats from Signal and import them in Molly, no prob.

https://molly.im/

Molly

Molly is an independent Signal fork for Android.

Molly
Show threadDitolFeb 4, 2025

@bammerlaan
that's great!
Would be even better if Signal would provide this functionality in the official app.

@brettcannon @fs111 @ndantas @signalapp @OtterMatic @TLisaB @Understress81 @geoff_eg @NullAchtFunfzehn @NadCee

Show threadBrett CannonFeb 4, 2025
@ditol @bammerlaan @fs111 @ndantas @signalapp @OtterMatic @TLisaB @Understress81 @geoff_eg @NullAchtFunfzehn @NadCee I'm aware of Molly, but I just don't want to have to side-load just to get this one feature. If the iOS folks have this feature I don't see why the Android users can't have it. I have actually stopped donating to Signal until this feature exists.
Show threadUnderstress81Feb 4, 2025
@brettcannon @ditol @bammerlaan @fs111 @ndantas @signalapp @OtterMatic @TLisaB @geoff_eg @NullAchtFunfzehn @NadCee The very least they owe us an explanation. I was a donor too. The only thing I can think of is fragmentation of android tablets being on a wide variety of android versions but they could just support 1 or 2 versions back and people would still be happy.
Show threadantoniovrJan 27, 2025
@ndantas @signalapp you can do it by having mollyap in the second phone as it can kinda emulate the desktop app.
Show threadbedouinJan 27, 2025
@antoniovr @ndantas @signalapp I can't find it in the Play Store
Show threadantoniovrJan 27, 2025
@bedouin @ndantas you'd need to install it from its fdroid repository: https://molly.im/ ( @mollyim )
Molly

Molly is an independent Signal fork for Android.

Molly
Show threadbedouinJan 27, 2025
@antoniovr @ndantas @mollyim thanks!
Do you know if you can star/favorite messages like in WA?
Show threadantoniovrJan 27, 2025
@bedouin @ndantas @mollyim I've never used favourites in WA... Besides pinning (which I usually use), you can create "folders", which appear like tabs in Signal (I haven't checked if they appear also in Molly) and add contacts to each folder. I guess it is like a generalisation of "favourites". Do you find it? It is inside of the settings...
Show threadbedouinJan 28, 2025
@antoniovr @ndantas @mollyim ah, I meant favoriting a specific text bubble within a chat, for easy reference later. Like for an address, codes, or other specific information
Show threadantoniovrJan 28, 2025
@bedouin @ndantas ah now I know what you mean is pinning "publicly " a message in a 1-1 conversation/group. It can be interesting to have. I usually store this kind of things for myself by forwarding the message to my private space (and actually it was how I was doing it also in WA), although I see it could be useful to highlight staff in groups
Show threadsneakJan 27, 2025
@signalapp i need to be able to add more devices. i have two ipads, three computers at one of my homes, and two computers at another of my homes. it would also be nice to be able to add my other phone to my main signal account (and not have it be a different account because it's a phone and not an ipad)
Show threadStefan RitterJan 27, 2025
@signalapp I can't link any devices because of the device limit ^^
Show threadRΓ©mi du NordJan 27, 2025
@signalapp oh yesss! this is a really important feature for most of my contacts
Show threadsenna.apkJan 27, 2025
@signalapp πŸ‘
Show threadSuricatJan 27, 2025
@signalapp bring us community and WA users won't have any excuse not to come
Show threadCubeOfCheeseJan 27, 2025
@Tacitus @signalapp what do you mean by community?
Show threadSuricatJan 27, 2025

@cubeofcheese @signalapp it is the ability to create subgroups inside a group. Let's say you have a school and you can create subgroups by classrooms. It's easier than creating several groups and for managing members

https://faq.whatsapp.com/495856382464992

About communities | WhatsApp Help Center

Show threadSuricatJan 27, 2025
@cubeofcheese @signalapp it is THE argument for which I can't have an answer
Show threadCubeOfCheeseJan 28, 2025

@Tacitus @signalapp oh like a slack or discord.

Yeah I would love if I could use signal as a replacement for those

Show threadStefanJan 27, 2025
@signalapp hopeful iOS Backup will come soon?
Show threadmenschmeierJan 27, 2025
@pixeldorf
I think you should address your request to Apple. On an iPhone, it is possible to back up to the iCloud. Of course, this makes it more difficult to switch from iOS to Android...
@signalapp
Show threadStefanJan 27, 2025
@menschmeier @signalapp warum an Apple? Apple hat ja β€žnixβ€œ damit zu tun. Signal sollte auf iOS endlich mal eine ordentliche Backup LΓΆsung implantieren.
WhatsApp schafft das ja auch (mittlerweile sogar als VerschlΓΌsseltes Backup)
Show threadKatharina DebusJan 27, 2025
@pixeldorf @signalapp That's what I also very much hope for!
Show threadCarlos SolΓ­sJan 27, 2025
I'd be testing it ASAP, but unfortunately you still haven't accepted the patch to run the notifications through #UnifiedPush and #MollySocket. So I'll have to stick to the Molly spinoff for a while.
Show threadJoseph Lorenzo Hall, PhDJan 27, 2025
@signalapp lol'd at "leave you to your own devices"
Show threadJumaJan 27, 2025
@signalapp nice feature. But we need a standalone app for linux phone.
Show threadAlexanderMarsJan 27, 2025
@signalapp more linked devices, not just an iPad or a computer.
Show threadSebastian GrillJan 27, 2025
@signalapp You made my day. This is great news.
Show threadmechanlou Jan 27, 2025
@signalapp i fucking love you guys
Show threadOtter-MaticJan 27, 2025
@signalapp will a linked app on android ever be available. I have my iPhone in one hand and an android tablet in the other. Not sure if it’s a back end this can never be done kinda thing or a we are working on it please be patient kind of thing.
Show threadSignal Update InfoJan 27, 2025
@signalapp So excited! πŸ™Œ
Show threadπŸͺ¨Jan 27, 2025
@signalapp Finally
Show threadErik van πŸ‡±πŸ‡ΊJan 27, 2025
@signalapp Testing it now, it's a great new feature
Show threadRiven Skye πŸ˜Άβ€πŸŒ«οΈJan 27, 2025
@signalapp Woah
Show threadBlackPanter004 / BenJan 27, 2025
@signalapp
Very good πŸ‘
Show threadklJan 27, 2025
@signalapp Please let us also link Android tablets as secondary devices.
Show threadKlaus Jott πŸ“―Jan 27, 2025
@kl @signalapp On Android-TAblets: https://molly.im/
Molly

Molly is an independent Signal fork for Android.

Molly
Show threadMarleyJan 27, 2025

@signalapp

Unfortunately there is a bug preventing me from messaging a new contact. The app is showing me a captcha before I can send a message, but even after I successfully complete the captcha, and the captcha says that I verified correctly, it just shows me a brief error message which says "failed to submit" and the message doesn't send but seems to be in a weird suspended state! Is there any way to resolve this issue? Help appreciated!

#signal #privacy #captcha

Show threadAlex HartJan 27, 2025

@marley @signalapp Hi! I would recommend emailing a debug log to support at signal dot org :-)

https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007318591-Debug-Logs-and-Crash-Reports

Show threadαŽΆγ„–ε©ε‚γ„₯Jan 28, 2025
@marley
Is this happening from your phone or desktop app? This situation normally occurs when your IP address is tagged as a spam source. Can happen if you are using a VPN. You could try turning off the VPN, if you use one, switch your network etc. to find the actual reason for this.
Show threadMarleyJan 28, 2025

@gopal

It's happening on the phone app. Yes, I am using a VPN but I'd really prefer not to switch it off if possible, only as a last resort. I mean Signal is meant to be a privacy app after all, so forcing people to switch off their VPN seems like a really bad idea to me.

Anyway thanks for this suggestion and your insight (it didn't cross my mind to think Signal was blocking VPNs and I haven't experience this issue before) and maybe I will need to do this if I can't find a more acceptable solution or Signal doesn't fix the issue. It seems like a bug to me, but maybe it's intentional, I don't know at this point.

It's disappointing that the app gives me no reason why it fails, just the cryptic "failed to submit" appearing briefly with no further info. I was surprised to see the captcha appear at all, and baffled when I passed the captcha and nothing happened, leaving my messages in "pending" sent-but-not-sent state.

What's the point of showing me a captcha, only to fail anyway after I successfully pass the captcha just because I'm using a VPN? And it doesn't even tell me what's going wrong! I mean, if I already passed the captcha, what more does it want? (Rhetorical question not directed at anyone, just finding this experience rather frustrating, and the idea that any app, especially a privacy-focused one like Signal, would compel users to switch off their VPN is not a pleasant thought. Sorry for rambling a bit. I appreciate your insight! Still hoping there's a beter solution that doesn't involve turning off my VPN.)

Show threadαŽΆγ„–ε©ε‚γ„₯Jan 28, 2025
@marley
I don't think signal is blocking the VPN. The issue is most likely the VPN is assigning an IP address that is considered as a spam source by signal's spam detection code, hence to verify that a human user and a not a bot is sending messages signal code triggers a captcha. However after verification the message not getting delivered could be an issue with signal or the VPN itself.
My suggestion to turn off the VPN was to confirm that it indeed is the VPN that is causing the problem. Once you confirm it is the VPN, you could look at options, like configure your vpn to connect through a different server, or in the worst case change your vpn provider etc.
I've used signal with protonvpn (on desktop) without any issues. I also has used orbot as a vpn on my android device with signal and has not faced issues.
If you use an android device there is a fork of signal molly which supports tor directly on the app. You might want to check it out.
In case you still face issues, the support forum in the signal community might be of help.
GitHub - mollyim/mollyim-android: Enhanced and security-focused fork of Signal.

Enhanced and security-focused fork of Signal. Contribute to mollyim/mollyim-android development by creating an account on GitHub.

GitHub
Show threadMarleyJan 28, 2025

@gopal

Thanks for your reply.

"I don't think signal is blocking the VPN. The issue is most likely the VPN is assigning an IP address that is considered as a spam source by signal's spam detection code"

Effectively that would amount to the same thing.

I tried to send another message, only this time the captcha didn't appear at all and instead Signal showed me a very dark page which just said:

Webpage not available
The webpage at https://signalcaptchas.org/challenge/generate.html could not be loaded because: net::ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED

So it seems their captcha is even more broken now! And it still won't let me send any messages.

I still haven't switched off my VPN but I might have to do that next, unfortunately. I find it disappointing that I even need to consider this.

Like you, I am currently using Orbot as my VPN and, until now, I hadn't experienced this kind of problem with Signal, which is why I was surprised when it happened. And since the captcha failed to submit even with different circuits, it seems they are blocking the entire tor network, essentially blocking anyone using the Orbot VPN.

Thanks for the molly recommendation. I had heard about that before but haven't tried it and I didn't know it directly supports tor on the app. I will keep that in mind in future, although if Signal is blocking IP addresses for the tor network, I assume a molly user would be blocked by Signal just the same.

Thanks again for your suggestions!

@signalapp

#signal #captcha #privacy #signalapp #vpn #orbot #tor #molly

Signal

Show threadjsledJan 27, 2025
@signalapp As someone who literally last night synced up with someone desktop -> mobile and could not get history ... thanks for the improvement!
Show threadSieva πŸš΄πŸš‡πŸ™οΈπŸŒΉJan 27, 2025
@signalapp OMG finally! I was so sick of people telling me that I have to sacrifice message history in the name of security.
Show threadAdam WysokiΕ„skiJan 27, 2025
@signalapp 
Show threadJane DoeJan 27, 2025
@signalapp Will this be able to work with third-party clients?
Show threadAlexia  Jan 27, 2025

@janef0421 @signalapp

if they chose to implement it. Of course you won't get support from the foundation with third-party clients though

Show threadtheckiJan 27, 2025
@signalapp juhu
Show threadcatwithflipflops πŸ₯‘ πŸ‹Jan 27, 2025
@signalapp Well done!