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Signal is the best private messaging app for most people, but messages vanish if your phone is lost or destroyed. That's about to change, if you use Signal's new secure backup feature.
After introducing the feature on Android in September, it's now available on iOS. Backups through Signal’s service are end-to-end encrypted using a 64-character recovery key to regain access to your information. "Without your unique recovery key, no one (including Signal) can read, decrypt, or restore any of the data in your Secure Backup Archive," Signal says.
There’s a free option for all users to back up 100MB of text messages, and it’ll also save your files, videos, photos, GIFs, and other media for 45 days. After that, it’ll delete the files, unless you pay $1.99 a month to back up 100GB of media.
To turn the feature on, download the latest version (v7.86) on iOS. Tap the Profile button in the top left, followed by Signal Settings > Backups > Setup > Enable Backups > Next.
You’ll then be given your 64-character recovery key, which Signal recommends recording somewhere safe that isn’t connected to your profile. Tap Next and enter your recovery key to confirm you’ve got it safely recorded. Then tap Next > Continue and choose between either the free or paid backup plan.
Signal notes that your recovery key is essential to decrypt your information. If you lose it, "there is simply no way to decrypt the information that it contains without your recovery key," Signal says.
The company plans to bring backups to its desktop service soon. Once that's complete, Signal also plans to introduce transfers between platforms so you can easily switch between all three.