What is Signal? Everything You Need to Know About This WhatsApp Alternative
WhatsApp has been continuously notifying its users of the new policy that comes into effect on 8th February. The recent service policy change comes with an option – either you need to agree to the updated term or lose your access to the WhatsApp account. This has eventually alarmed and warned WhatsApp users especially considering FB’s low reputation with the user data. WhatsApp has clarified what the new policy and terms mean for the user’s data and them.
Therefore, in this confusing scenario, each of us is in a dilemma whether we should shift to another messenger or compromise our privacy. Well, there’s a high chance that many of us might go with the former option. We have got you covered with the new and the best WhatsApp alternative, i.e., the Signal Messenger.
Why should we focus on privacy?
There are many instances in one’s life where we primarily want our data and information to be stored in an isolated manner. From our chats with loved ones to our bank details, we would never want an unknown person to access such personal content or interfere with it. Here, encryption and privacy come into play.
As we know, WhatsApp messenger ‘was’ a privacy-focused application. Now, you can wonder on the face of Earth that why we quoted ‘was’? This is because WhatsApp’s new privacy policy, or rather we would say ‘No privacy policy,’ gives Facebook Inc. the right to access all of your data present on WhatsApp. This essentially means that the famous end-to-end encryption will no more exist after some days.
What is Signal Messenger?
Signal messenger is a cross-platform encrypted messaging service. It has been developed by the Signal Messenger LLC and the Signal Foundation. It uses the Internet or the World Wide Web (WWW) to send group and one-to-one messages that include media such as videos, images, voice notes, and files. But the main reason why the Signal App has made all the buzz around is that it keeps its user’s privacy intact, and there are plenty of built-in features that help us keep our conversations and chats secure.
Let us compare some of WhatsApp’s most essential aspects with the most-popular WhatsApp alternative – The Signal Messenger.
WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, aiming to make a profit, whereas a non-profit organization owns Signal. WhatsApp mines profit by selling its user’s data, whereas Signal’s organization is heavily dependent upon the donations that they receive through its users.
The Signal is one of the most famous European nations’ applications as it is arguably the safest messenger app.
The Signal is not backed by advertisements or the data of its users. On the other hand, the Signal messenger works for its users and their privacy. It has also got the famous end-to-end encryption for your messages, which implies that no 3rd party will be allowed to gain access to your information and data, not even the organization itself.
Setting up the Signal Account on your Smartphone
The whole process of setting up and installing your Signal messaging app is straightforward. You just need to follow the simple given steps and instructions to start using this WhatsApp alternative, i.e., Signal messenger.
Step 1: Search for the ‘Signal Messenger’ after going to the Google Play Store. If you are an iOS user, then you need to perform the same steps as mentioned above through the App Store. The app weighs less than 40 MB in size on both platforms.
Step 2: Click on the ‘Open’ button to launch the Signal messenger once this app is installed.
Step 3: In the 3rd step, you need to tap on the ‘Continue’ button to acknowledge the company’s privacy policy.
Step 4: Next, you need to tap on ‘Allow’ to continue and grant access to media and storage files on your smartphone when prompted.
Step 5: In the next step, you will be asked to enter your mobile number with which you wish to create your Signal Messenger App. You need to enter the OTP (One Time Password) that you will receive in the dialog box on the next screen.
Step 6: Unlike WhatsApp, the WhatsApp alternative Signal messenger allows you to create a PIN code for your account to quickly and easily access it in the future. You can create a PIN by merely entering a suitable numerical password.
Step 7: This is the last step of setting up and installing your Signal account. Here, you need to enter your full name visible to all the people listed in your contacts in the future. Your Signal account setup process is now completed.
That’s it. You can now use this WhatsApp alternative to send media files and messages to the people in your contact list by simply clicking on the ‘Compose’ button present in the bottom corner.
Also Read: Best Universal Remote Apps
Some essential features of Signal Messenger
- Relay Calls
The Relay Calls feature allows you to make encrypted signal calls using mobile data. All your calls are relayed through Signal’s server so that your Internet Protocol (IP) Address doesn’t get revealed to the recipient of the call. But, there is also a disadvantage to this privacy feature. The calls that are made after enabling the ‘Relay Calls’ option are of relatively low quality. This essentially means that the latency and the experience could get compromised. To enable relay calls on this WhatsApp alternative, follow these steps –
- Go to Settings.
- Tap or select the ‘Privacy’ button.
- Just slide and turn on or enable the ‘Relay Calls’ toggle.
- Screen Security
Another Signal’s privacy-focused feature is the Screen Security feature.
A screenshot of the app’s latest activity appears by default whenever you open the ‘Recent Apps’ list on your smartphone. This WhatsApp alternative even provides you with the option of disabling it by turning ON the ‘Screen Security’ option/ button. After doing this, your smartphone won’t retrieve any data or information available on the screen when Signal Messenger is being used. The application won’t show any data in the recent applications screen on both iOS and Android smartphones.
- Sealed Sender
The ‘Sealed Sender’ feature is claimed as one of the most revolutionary enhancements in privacy for messengers.
I hope you are well aware that all the messages you send first go through the organization’s server and then reach the end recipient’s destination. You can send messages anonymously to any contact through the Sealed Sender option. To put it merely, Signal’s server will be only aware of the destination where the data has to be sent and will not have any precise knowledge of the sender. The Sealed Sender feature is already active by default to access it without any hassles.
- Censorship Circumvention
We have already mentioned several times that this WhatsApp alternative is one of the safest messenger apps. Thus, it has been banned in some of the nations such as the UAE and Egypt, which do not want its citizens to access enhanced encryption and privacy. However, the Signal messenger managed to pass or get through this ban and introduced a term known as Censorship Circumvention. Via this feature, the Signal messaging app tries to trick the nation’s blocking attempts by making it look like a connection that is being made with a different domain.
Conclusion
If you want to ensure your messages to stay between you and your friends, then Signal messenger is probably the only application you should be looking to.
See, let’s be honest with each other – WhatsApp cannot be ditched instantly. Common users need some time to shift to another messenger or WhatsApp alternative as it is probably the highest used messenger application in the world. Eventually, the Signal messaging app will grow with a more extensive user base over some time. A larger chunk of our Internet-dependent audience will adopt this WhatsApp alternative as a primary instant messaging service.
