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Signal Private Messenger Gains Chat Wallpapers, Animated Stickers, 'About' Profile Section, and More

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Encrypted messaging app Signal has been updated with several new features that reflect its increase in popularity, including chat wallpapers, an "About" section in user profiles, and more.

signal-speak-freely.jpg

In a change that should appeal to former WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger users, Signal now lets you set chat wallpapers for individual chats, or set a single default background for all chat threads.

Similarly, the app now offers support for animated stickers, while Signal users can create their own APNG animated sticker packs in Signal Desktop.

Elsewhere, expanded chat list previews display the sender's name in group chats, so it's easier to decide which threads to look at first.

In addition, the update includes a new setting to lower data usage for calls, and users can automatically pause attachment downloads while a call is in progress. The developers have also improved image compression and quality.

The update comes at just the right time for Signal. The privacy-focused chat app recently enjoyed a surge in account sign-ups after a bungled privacy policy update by rival service WhatsApp caused a user exodus from the Facebook-owned platform.

The app also got the thumbs up from prominent Signal users like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Edward Snowden, which only added to mainstream interest in the app.

The last major update came in December, when the app rolled out support for encrypted group video calls. Signal Private Messenger is a free download [Direct Link] for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store.

Article Link: Signal Private Messenger Gains Chat Wallpapers, Animated Stickers, 'About' Profile Section, and More
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/01/29/signal-messenger-update-chat-wallpapers/
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There is a need for a TRUE p2p messaging platform. Signal can be pulled easily from App Stores and also their servers can be shut down.

Apple needs to change their notification architecture, so not everything has to go through their APN. Just like Microsoft Exchange does not need to go through their APN.
 
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Can Signal be used with two different numbers on the same dual-SIM iPhone? With WhatsApp this can be done by installing both regular WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business apps on the same phone, what about Signal?
 
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They have added many features except one essential feature, the ability to add participants in ongoing video or voice call. Hope they add it in future. That’s a basic feature
 
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Apple_Robert said:
I am probably one of the exceptions. I don’t need the fancy wallpaper and animated stickers, in order to message with someone. However, if adding these features helps get customers off WhatsApp and Messenger, that is a great thing.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I don’t need them either (I suppose they’re ‘nice to haves’ for me).

The main reason those features are a good thing in my book is they make the app likely to be accepted by more people, which in turn hopefully makes the platform more viable to replace WhatsApp/Messenger for many.

I have a family member who moved away from iPhone, so a cross platform app was required for group family chat. WhatsApp was used almost by default…
I’ve wanted to move to an alternative. To do that, aside from the “everyone’s on it” barrier - admittedly, a big one - other problems to overcome are the lack of feature parity (perceived or otherwise). This update should help with that.
 
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I will jump on board when the feature allowing people to sign-up by creating a unique username rather than using their own phone number is implemented. Just as Wickr has done since the beginning. Your privacy will always be compromised while an app can connect an account to a real person. Even if conversations are end-to-end encrypted, there are other forms of meta-data that reveal usage information that can be easily tied to you if you sign-up using an email or phone number, or even if the App has access to the Unique ID code of your Phone handset.

Once Apple implements the upcoming change to tracking prevention and once Signal implements sign-up without phone number or email (simply creating a username/password and that's it) then we are well on the path to truly private digital communications.
 
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Username32123 said:
I will jump on board when the feature allowing people to sign-up by creating a unique username rather than using their own phone number is implemented. Just as Wickr has done since the beginning. Your privacy will always be compromised while an app can connect an account to a real person. Even if conversations are end-to-end encrypted, there are other forms of meta-data that reveal usage information that can be easily tied to you if you sign-up using an email or phone number, or even if the App has access to the Unique ID code of your Phone handset.

Once Apple implements the upcoming change to tracking prevention and once Signal implements sign-up without phone number or email (simply creating a username/password and that's it) then we are well on the path to truly private digital communications.
Click to expand...
Both the server and app are opensource.. You can check for yourself they don't collect this metadata.. I disagree with the model of not tying it to your cellphone # at least. This makes adoption simpler than say what BBM tried to do on iOS. What are the feds/NSA etc will know about you when they ask for server logs? Signal shared what they had as required. You can read more about it. Threema is another decent one, but the server isn't opensource we are not 100% sure of things either there.
 
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sdz said:
There is a need for a TRUE p2p messaging platform. Signal can be pulled easily from App Stores and also their servers can be shut down.

Apple needs to change their notification architecture, so not everything has to go through their APN. Just like Microsoft Exchange does not need to go through their APN.
Click to expand...
At some point Apple is going to have to decide on "Privacy" or "Cancel Culture". In todays world, they are not going to be able to have both.
 
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KSB said:
Add a Gif feature and I'm sold 😅
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Pretty sure it already had it. You press the + button at the bottom left, then choose GIF. Seems to only support Giphy but it works well enough for me. Did you want something different?

I've criticised Facebook and Google for years for their dodgy privacy policies and other misdemeanours. It was only a couple of weeks ago I decided I needed to take my own advice. I'd closed down my social media accounts in 2018 but still used Messenger and WhatsApp. Well, I had to message all of the contacts I speak to most often and make sure they had my phone number. I told them about Signal and then deleted my WhatsApp and Messenger accounts.

So far so good. Some of my contacts have also downloaded Signal and those that haven't have been in touch via iMessage or SMS. I'm not a tin-foil hat wearing, conspiracy theorist lunatic but I do believe in a certain level of personal privacy. Ultimately, the only way to get these companies to change their behaviour is to walk away. Unfortunately, most people won't but at least I'm able to say I did my miniscule part for something I believe in.
 
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Does the desktop App still do that stupid thing where you need to download ALL messages first before you can continue chatting with someone? I hated this with Signal; even if you didn't use the app for a few days and let messages pileup on your phone, you'd still need to download the missed ones again... including images and other things. It sometimes took forever. Whatsapp only downloads the 10-20 or so most recent.
 
amg99 said:
They also came up with some marketing for data privacy day. I think it's awesome.
https://twitter.com/x/status/1354915823501025280
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Recently got my family to switch to Signal from WhatsApp (never thought that would happen). First thing I hear is how it doesn't have wallpapers - I never used them myself but that's important to people :).

Very cool ad! That actress was great in Person of Interest! Go Signal!
 
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sdz said:
There is a need for a TRUE p2p messaging platform. Signal can be pulled easily from App Stores and also their servers can be shut down.

Apple needs to change their notification architecture, so not everything has to go through their APN. Just like Microsoft Exchange does not need to go through their APN.
Click to expand...

There is already: https://matrix.org/

"Matrix is an open standard for interoperable, decentralised, real-time communication over IP. It can be used to power Instant Messaging, VoIP/WebRTC signalling, Internet of Things communication - or anywhere you need a standard HTTP API for publishing and subscribing to data whilst tracking the conversation history."
 
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I'll just wait for Apple to open up iMessage. (Yes, I'll be waiting awhile. Maybe forever.) But, I really want a unified messenger app that allows me to customize chat views universally and per contact, aggregates conversations from different platforms (iMessage, SMS/MMS, WhatsApp, Facebook/Instagram Messenger, Signal, etc.) into a single inbox, and truly simplifies messaging. Something like a better Trillium from the old Instant Messaging days.
 
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