Signal introduced usernames today. Signal chats required your phone number until today. Alternatively, you may create a unique username. Usernames are in beta and will be available to all users in a few weeks. Signal needs a phone number for app registration.
Signal has superior security and privacy compared to other end-to-end encrypted texting applications. Previously, hackers could steal a victim’s phone number at the phone carrier level used to register with Signal. Now, Signal users may keep their phone numbers secret.
Signal claims its usernames are different from social network usernames. Your Signal username is not your app login or handle. Their purpose is to quickly connect with someone on the app without giving your phone number.
What you pick as your profile name will appear instead of your username if you establish one. Your username is likewise hidden from app messages until you disclose it. Signal doesn’t have a searchable username directory like X and Instagram, so users must know your username to chat on the program. You can also create a QR code or link to your username.
Once you establish a username, Signal will hide your phone number from anybody who doesn’t have it in their contacts who is using the current software. Personal messages and group conversations only display your profile name and photograph, not your phone number. Change the default option in your “Phone Number” settings if you want others to see your phone number when you message them.
Create a username under “Profile” settings. Choose an original username with two or more integers. You can change your username whenever you want and erase it if you don’t want one. The business claims it makes usernames readily modifiable, so you may create one for a conference or group vacation and change it afterward.
Enter a username on the app’s “New Chat” page to speak with someone.
Signal is also adding a privacy feature that lets you select who may locate you on the app using your phone number. Anyone with your phone number, from social media to a business card, could locate you on Signal until recently. Go to “Who can find me by my number” in your settings and choose “Nobody.”
If you choose “Everybody,” anybody with your phone number may put it into Signal and send you a message request, which you can reject or block.
