

Signal allows you to create a link for a group and share that link so anyone can join without having to be added manually. Sharing a Link for Anyone to Join Your Group If you wish to change this, or the group name, icon, or add or remove participants, this can be done from the group chat screen by tapping the name of the group. You can now name the group, then tap “CREATE.”Īt this point, anyone can add members to the group. After adding participants, you can tap the arrow in the lower right corner of the screen. On the following screen, you’ll be able to add participants to the group. You can send an encrypted group message by tapping the pen icon in the center-right of the screen, and then selecting “New Group.”
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Once a call is established, your call is encrypted.Ĭommunicating with a Group How to Start an Encrypted Group Chat For voice calls, tap on the phone icon (2).Īt this point, Signal may ask for permission to access the microphone. To initiate an encrypted video call to a contact, select that contact and then tap on the camera icon (1). From this screen, you can send end-to-end encrypted text, picture, stickers, audio, or video messages. When you tap a contact, you’ll be brought to the conversation screen for your contact. You will see a list of all the registered Signal users in your contacts. To get started, tap the pen icon in the center-right of the screen. That means information about who is receiving messages and when they were received may leak to these companies. They use Google on Android and Apple on iPhone.

Warning: Note that the Signal Foundation, the makers of Signal, use other companies’ infrastructure to send its users alerts that they’ve received a new message. Communicating with a Contact How to Send an Encrypted Message If sharing your contacts with Signal is a concern, you can deny the contacts permission during setup as described above. This may be an issue for those with particularly sensitive threat models. To do this, data representing the phone numbers in your contact list is uploaded to the Signal servers, although this data is deleted almost immediately. Warning: Signal provides you with a list of other Signal users in your contacts. If you try to call the person, it will place a standard phone call. The standard text message will only be sent if Signal set as the default SMS app. If you try to send a message to someone using Signal and they do not have the Signal app installed, it will attempt to send a standard, non-encrypted text message. In order to use Signal, the person that you are contacting must have Signal installed. Choose a secure PIN or Passphrase and then tap “Next.” Enter your information in this step and tap “Next.”Ī PIN keeps your information safe on Signal’s servers, and if you switch phones you will be able to recover your settings, profile, and contacts using it. A first name (either genuine or made up) is required, the image and last name are optional. The profile image and name you choose will be shown to any contacts you have saved in your address book, when you initiate or accept new chats, and when you join new groups. You will now be prompted to enter that code. In order to verify your phone number, you will be sent an SMS text with a six-digit code. Enter your mobile phone number and tap “Next.” Step 3: Register and Verify your Phone Number As a result, any incoming Signal call may interrupt your regular phone calls. If you don’t allow this permission, you can still use Signal, but Signal will have no way to know if you are currently on a call.

You will also be prompted to allow Signal to make and manage phone calls. If you don’t allow this permission, you can still use Signal, but you will have to manually enter your contact’s phone number to begin chatting with them. This will allow you to more easily discover which of your contacts you can communicate with over Signal. On your Android device, enter the Google Play Store and search for “Signal.” Find Signal Private Messenger and tap “Install.”Īfter Signal has finished installing, tap “Open” to launch the app.Īfter an introductory screen, you will see a dialogue explaining why Signal requests the “Contacts” permission on your phone.Īfter tapping “Continue,” your Android phone will prompt you to share your contact list with the Signal app.
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Installing Signal on your Android Phone Step 1: Download and Install Signal
