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When it comes to encrypted messaging, there are a lot of options you can go with in 2024. However, Signal remains one of the best, yet one of the least used messaging apps that prioritize security. Here’s why I wish more people would take notice of the app.
1It’s the Easiest Way to Text Securely
Signal is by far the easiest way to text securely. You don’t need to be a cybersecurity expert, you don’t need to enable any hidden toggles, it just works out of the box.
All messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted by default, and the app doesn’t collect any data on its users. Signal’s self-destruct messages are also much easier to use and offer more options compared to something like WhatsApp.
Additionally, Signal’s call-relay feature automatically hides a caller’s IP address, providing an additional layer of security. And that’s just the tip of the security iceberg.
The app hides your phone number from anyone you’re talking to by default. you’re able to choose to show your phone number and interact with people as you normally do on other apps, or you can create a username with which people can find you on Signal. The app even goes as far as allowing you to control who can find you using your phone number.
Last but not least, the Signal app also asks you to enter a locking code by default and keeps asking you to reenter this code from time to time to ensure you don’t forget it. It’s a small but thoughtful feature that ensures you remember the password to access your Signal account, without forcing you to type it in every time you want to send a message.
All these features are available in Signal by default and work without you having to read online guides or fiddle around with settings where you might do more harm than good.
2You Don’t Miss Out on Any Features
If you’re using Signal as your daily personal messenger app, you don’t miss out on any core features. Usually, more “secure” apps tend to not implement commonly used features under the guise of protecting the user. However, with Signal, that’s not the case.
You get messages, audio and video calls, stickers, the ability to create groups, and even upload stories (or opt-out of the feature entirely). Unless you have a specific business or broadcast need, Signal can do everything that its major rivals WhatsApp and Telegram can. Even the stickers you use on Signal are end-to-end encrypted.
You also get customization features like chat wallpapers, backgrounds, and themes. Signal’s calling options and interface, in my opinion, are the best you’re able to find on a phone app and you get other additional features like an incognito keyboard, proxy support, in-app payments, text formatting, and even message scheduling.
It also has a desktop client available on Windows, Linux, and macOS. You can log into up to five devices at a time and all data is stored locally. Signal groups are also great to use with a maximum member limit of 1,000 members. You get additional control like admin approvals before someone joins a group and invites via group links or QR codes among others.
Since Signal groups are built on a private group system technology, the Signal service has no record of your group memberships, group titles, group avatars, or group attributes. You can even have group video calls with up to 50 people, andshare video call links on Signalinstead of calling someone directly.
You can also verify your session to ensure no one’s eavesdropping on your conversations. To prevent someone from looking at your notifications if they have your phone in hand, you can also control whether the app shows notifications with the sender’s name and message contents in it.
3Sharing Files Is Much Better
One of the best things about Signal is that it lets you share just about any file with your contact and you’re not limited to photos, videos, PDFs, and documents. The actual file size you may share varies though, based on what device you’re using.
iPhone and iPad
General files
You may be able to send bigger files via Signal, specifically through the Android app, but those uploads will either be uploaded or rejected. For file sizes that lie within the aforementioned limits (which can change by the time you’re reading this), you can send uncompressed files with decent upload speeds.
4SMS Between Android and iPhone Is Still a Hassle
If you’re still using SMS, it’s about time you stop. Despite Apple finally supporting the RCS protocol, SMS between Android and iPhone is still a hassle. First up, the iPhone user you’re trying to talk to needs to enable RCS, and even then, my experience messaging my friends inside Apple’s walled garden hasn’t been very good.
Using an internet-based messaging app resolves just about every issue you might face with SMS, and puts an end to the blue dot green dot debate for good. Sure, there are alternatives here, but they can’t really be trusted when it comes to security.
5The Alternatives Aren’t As Robust
Finally, Signal’s two biggest rivals and the most popular internet messaging apps around—WhatsApp and Telegram—aren’t as robust when it comes to security. WhatsApp is owned by Meta, a company that thrives on ads and hence, needs your data to be sustainable.Whether you should use WhatsApp or Signalis up to you, but you’re safer with the latter.
Telegram is another alternative, but the lack of moderation around the app has raised certain issues. It can be used for anything from regular conversation to scamming people or running malware command and control centers.
Telegram is one of the most feature-laden messaging apps out there, and for that very reason, it’s also used by a lot of scammers, digital pirates, and cybercriminals. Additionally, Telegram doesn’t enable end-to-end encryption by default, which puts you at risk.
All these reasons make Signal the easiest way of securely texting and calling, but it’s still held back by its limited user base, meaning even people who’d want to use the app can’t because most of their contacts are using other apps, mostly WhatsApp or Telegram.
