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The beta feature lets Signal users keep their phone numbers hidden when they connect with others.
Signal has revealed a new feature that will finally let users keep their phone numbers private on the app.
The encrypted messaging provider is rolling out usernames, which will allow users to connect to others without having to reveal their phone number. This has been previously highlighted as an issue when it comes to using the privacy-focused app.
With the new beta feature, Signal said users’ phone numbers will no longer be visible to everyone they chat with by default. Users can create a unique username for connecting with new people on the app.
“Instead of giving out your phone number, you can now share a username,” Signal said in a blogpost. “You can also generate a QR code or link that directs people to your username, letting them quickly connect with you on Signal.”
A phone number is still required to sign up for Signal, but these updates aim to let users control who gets to see their number. The beta feature also include a privacy setting, which can prevent a user from being found by others unless they have their specific username.
“Importantly, all of this is optional,” Signal said. “While we changed the default to hide your phone number from people who don’t have it saved in their phone’s contacts, you can change this setting.
“You are not required to create a username and you have full control over whether you want people to be able to find you by your phone number or not.”
The new feature is currently in beta and will be rolled out to all users in the coming weeks, according to Signal. Users will need to have the most updated version of the app to use the new feature.
Last November, Signal revealed that it was working on a ‘staging’ version of the username features to let some users test them before launch. The move was welcomed by some users on X as a way to keep their phone numbers fully private. In 2022, Signal warned 1,900 users that their phone numbers were potentially exposed as a result of a Twilio data breach.
Meanwhile, apps such as Signal gained a form of protection last week, as the European Court of Human Rights issued a new ruling on end-to-end encryption. The Court ruled that instances of law enforcement requiring companies to create “backdoors” to this technology violate human rights.
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