Signal users can now change number without losing account

Signal, an end-to-end encrypted communication app, has introduced new functionality which lets its users change their registered phone numbers without losing their chat history, profile information and groups.

The new feature has been rolled out for both the Android and iOS devices, it said in the official blogsite. The company has said that the new 'Change Number' option requires Signal version 5.27.1 on iOS or version 5.30.6 on Android for free of cost.

Whenever registered users switch to a new number, all their contacts will get an in-chat notification that mentions the update.

“If you’re getting a new phone, but keeping your old number, you can use our end-to-end encrypted device-to-device transfer on Android or iOS to carry your contacts and chat history over to your new device. Make sure you do this before wiping/recycling your old device, as Signal messages are excluded from the built-in operating system and cloud backups,” said Jim O'Leary - VP of Engineering - Signal Messenger on the blogsite.

He also mentioned that if you’re keeping your existing phone, but getting a new number, the ‘Change Number’ feature will let you keep your profile and all of your existing messages and groups on your device while making you reachable at your new phone number. When someone changes their phone number on Signal, you’ll see a chat event letting you know their number has changed. 

Signal competes with WhatsApp and Telegram and has 40 million monthly active users (until January 2021) and 105 million downloads (until May 2021) on its platform.