What you need to know
- Signal will soon no longer support text messages.
- While the change will happen soon, Signal says this shift was made to ensure its users’ messages always remain private and secure when sent to others.
- Users should start seeing notifications from Signal that SMS is no longer supported and how old SMS messages can be exported if a user chooses to do so.
Signal has announced plans to stop supporting text messaging on Android.
According to Signal’s official blog post, the messaging platform will begin to shift away from SMS support on its platform. Signal sees this as a way to bring about a more “streamlined experience” within its app for Android users.
The company does clarify that the scrapping of SMS support will only affect those who use Signal as the default SMS messaging application. When the time comes when the app no longer supports SMS, those who have not found a new app that supports this message type will have to. However, Signal does explain that if you want to keep those messages, you have the option to export those old text messages to another app that supports it.
In the interest of privacy, security and clarity, we are starting to phase out the SMS support of the Android app. You have several months to export your messages and find a new SMS app or ask your friends to download Signal. https://t.co/u9XZ7XM7rTOctober 12, 2022
The messaging platform explains that while you don’t need to export those old text messages just yet, the app will start offering notifications to let you know when texting support is approaching. When that time comes, which should start pretty soon, the Signal app will walk you through the process of exporting those old messages if you wish, and even help you choose a new app that supports SMS.
Signal is one of the best Android messaging apps and is known for its privacy and security. This app provides end-to-end encryption for all messages you send while staying in the Play Store for free. Security and privacy are the reasons Signal is moving away from supporting text messaging. Signal says it will begin to “prioritise security and privacy, ensure people are not hit with unexpected messaging bills, and create a clear and understandable user experience for everyone who messages on Signal.” It also mentions how insecure text messages are and that they can leak your data.
Signal’s second reason for dropping SMS support is to make sure its users aren’t hit by unexpectedly high messaging charges. According to Signal, users who texted through the app, without knowing they were sending text messages, were hit with a strike fee for this. Finally, dropping its SMS support allows Signal to communicate its theme of private and secure texts clearly.
Within Signal’s UI comes the duality of trying to display both SMS and its own secure texts. Dropping support for SMS will help Signal users avoid any misunderstanding of what is a secure message and what is a text message.