Signal App Launches Change Number Feature While Retaining Old Data

Continuing their steps towards a better customer experience, the Signal app now brings the “change phone number” feature. Using this option, users can update their account phone numbers on their devices without having to delete anything.

Signal Launches Change Number Feature

Sharing the details in a blog post, Jim Oleary, Signal’s VP of Engineering, has explained how changing registered numbers is now possible for Signal users.

Signal – an end-to-end encrypted secure messaging app – has been around for several years. Nonetheless, it demonstrated exponential growth in its customer base after WhatsApp’s privacy policy fiasco. Consequently, Signal started working on many new features that previously remained unintroduced in the app despite existing on other platforms.

One such feature was the ability for users to change numbers without deleting their data. The absence of this feature possibly remained a big hurdle for WhatsApp users wanting to switch to Signal. That’s because WhatsApp allows users to change their numbers seamlessly. Whereas Signal previously limited the users to wipe their data delete their old accounts, and then register new accounts with the new numbers.

Nonetheless, Signal has now rolled out the “Change phone number” feature with its latest release. Hence now, users can choose to change their registered phone numbers on their Signal accounts without wiping any data.

After the change happens, the user won’t notice any loss of pictures, videos, chats, etc., stored on the device. Besides, the users’ contacts shall also receive notifications about the number change when trying to communicate with the old number. (It’s a feature similar to what WhatsApp offers.)

How It Works

Users can find this setting under the “Account” option after tapping on their profile pictures. Selecting the “Change phone number” option displays how the action cannot be reverted.

By clicking on the “Continue” button, users can proceed to update their registered phone number. And this whole process won’t affect the data stored on users’ devices.

Nonetheless, Signal warns that users should ensure their uninterrupted access to the previous numbers for porting. If the user loses the old number, this feature won’t help. Instead, the users should have to register a new account.