Signal introduces Secure Backups

Everyone has their own preferred way of communicating. While some might rely on just SMS/RCS, others will choose to bounce from one messaging app to another, or some will choose to use all the tools available to get things done. With that said, the experience for each messaging app is quite different, with each having their own perks and drawbacks.

For many, Signal is one of the more secure options, offering end-to-end encryption and minimal data collection. And while that might be the case, there was never a way to recover your message history if you didn’t create a local backup or go through a procedure to transfer your messages from one device to another. Well, that’s finally going to change.

Secure Backups is here

Signal took to its blog to make the announcement that a new secure backup feature is being introduced. For now, it will only be available to those using the beta and on Android. Naturally, the brand is taking this feature seriously, sharing that “we built a system that allows you to recover your Signal conversations while maintaining the highest bar for privacy and security.”

As far as how this new system will work, backups will save conversations in a secure manner, and will be refreshed every day. Signal is offering up to 45 days of message backups for free, and those needing more, will need to pay a $1.99/month subscription fee. So if you want to save your entire chat history, you will need to pay in order to get it done.

Now, Signal is charging a fee for obvious reasons. Storing your data on servers isn’t cheap, especially if your chats have tons of photos and videos. The important thing here is that things will still be secure as they always were, with the brand stating that information will be “stored without a direct link to a specific backup payment or Signal user account.”

When it comes time to recover your data, you will need to use a 64-character key that will be provided. So this recovery key is something that you’ll want to keep safe, because if you happen to lose it, Signal won’t be able to help you. Again, this feature is opt-in, so if you don’t want a backup, you can continue using the service as is.

Those curious can always head into the Settings menu to activate the feature. Once this is complete, you will get a fresh backup of your data every 24 hours. Signal also shares plans that it has with this new technology, like “letting you save a secure backup archive to the location of your choosing, alongside features that let you transfer your encrypted message history between Android, iOS, and Desktop devices.”

For the most part, this is quite an exciting time to be a Signal user. The one feature that many users have been asking for is finally here.