Signal for Windows

Free, open-source private messenger

Signal Private Messenger is a chat and instant messaging app developed by Signal Foundation - a nonprofit organization developed by WhatsApp co-founder, Brian Acton, and Moxie Marlinspike. This VoIP app gained popularity when WhatsApp announced it would be sharing its data with Facebook. Users that are not comfortable with this setup can move to Signal Private Messenger. The program is safe to use; it’s been around since 2018 and has a dedicated security community.

Is Signal Private Messenger safe?

Signal has incredible security measures in place as well as a wealth of communication features. When your concern is about businesses encoding or keeping track of your information, Signal keeps your conversations completely confidential. This is because of their end-to-end encryption; by encoding your incoming and outgoing messages, only you and the recipient can read or see what was sent.

Using Signal, your information is kept hidden from your phone service providers or state agencies. It is for this reason that journalists, government officials can use this app. Average users concerned with their information being intercepted by law enforcement can use this, too. The catch is that both you and the receiver should be sending messages on this app. 

This platform is unlike SMS. If the person you need to speak with is not yet on Signal, the app allows you to invite via SMS, social networking platforms, or a link. There is also an option to block someone if you do not want to talk to him or her. The app does have features that will protect you, but take note that other desktop messaging apps like Messages, Telegram, and WeChat has these as well. 

Is Signal really private?

A concern you may have is Signal’s publicly available source code. This means coding experts can see the app’s core processes; however, Signal Foundation says that this has helped them find more bugs and points of improvement. You can still have one-on-one conversations or create a group chat on Signal. Like other messaging apps, you can send pictures, videos, links, and recordings to the thread. 

Other features safety features include group admins, self-destructing message, and two-factor authentication. You can lock the app by enabling passcode or fingerprint scan so those that have access to your phone can’t access the app. If you have a group, you can use these features to facilitate the chat. A Signal Private Messenger chat group can have 150 users at a time. 

You can sync your contact list on the app to see who is already using the app. Should you or your colleagues want to keep their phone number private, they can sign up for a Google voice number and log-in Signal with that. Apple users may want to stop Signal from syncing their calls and text to iCloud. This can be done on either the Signal mobile app or desktop app. 

Alternative to leading messaging apps 

Signal Private Messenger is the app for you if you are concerned with social media platforms, messaging apps, and e-commerce sites from storing your information. It is especially useful for those handling classified information and wants to protect their data from any onlookers. While it doesn’t boast sticker packs and themes, it does a good job of protecting its users' privacy.