forestine4d ago

eta: thanks, i ended up suggesting DeltaChat, but leaving this thread open if other people are looking

hi can someone tell me how to either use signal without ever using a phone or another encrypted messaging service that doesn't require a phone?

note to the linux people that this is for someone who is dealing with meta removing encryption, it can't be too difficult

Show threadcharlotte
@forestine get a burner phone number from a service like herosms or google voice. the phone number is never used after registration, the identity is stored effectively on device and can be transferred between phones, usernames are used to find recipients
Mar 25 at 3:43pmWeb
Show threadmkb4d ago

@halva @forestine That approach is cheapest but brings a problem. If the Signal account owner ever needs to re-register, they’ll need the original phone number.

That can be mitigated by setting (and remembering) a Signal PIN as well as using Signal’s free backup tier.

Best practice is to use a number one can hold onto, such as Burner App, GVoice, or another voip service.