What the Tech: App of the day

Shalaunda Bacon,

CHARLOTTE -Signal is back in the headlines, but this time it’s not for a security breach, but rather a high-profile example of how it’s designed to work.

Recent news highlighted an incident where classified information was accidentally leaked through the app by security officials. While this led to resignations, it also shone a light on Signal’s security features. Many of us text daily, often without considering the privacy implications. Typical SMS messages aren’t encrypted, and numerous messaging apps collect metadata, which can reveal who you contact and when. Signal, however, is different.

One of Signal’s key features is end-to-end encryption. This means that messages are encrypted on the sender’s device and only decrypted on the recipient’s device. Even Signal itself cannot read your messages. Unlike many other apps, there’s no cloud backup by default, and any backup you enable is also encrypted. This ensures that your conversations remain private and secure.

So, how does Signal work in practice? It functions much like any other texting app, allowing you to send messages, photos, videos, and even make voice calls over Wi-Fi or cellular connections. Signal also offers additional privacy features, such as the ability to set messages to disappear automatically and blur faces in photos before sending.

For the encryption to work, both you and the person you’re communicating with need to use the Signal app. With 70 million users worldwide, there’s a good chance some of your contacts already have it. When you create an account and add your contacts, Signal will identify which of them are also using the app, making it easy to start secure conversations.

It is especially helpful for group texts when there’s a mixture of iPhone and Android users (no green bubbles).

Another significant advantage is that Signal is free and ad-free. It’s operated by a non-profit organization, supported by donations, rather than driven by profit or data collection. This model reinforces its commitment to privacy. Signal has earned recommendations from privacy experts and is used by various high-profile individuals, including members of Congress, journalists, and activists around the globe.

While adding another app to your phone might seem like a hassle, if you’re concerned about privacy and ensuring your conversations remain confidential, Signal is definitely worth considering.

Here are step-by-step directions for setting up Signal on your phone

Download Signal from App Store or Google Play Store. It is also available for desktop computers at signal.org

Open Signal and follow the prompts to create an account.

STEP 1: Invite Your Friends

  • Tap the pencil icon (top right) to start a new chat.

  • You’ll see a list of contacts already using Signal.

  • If a friend isn’t using Signal, tap their name to invite them.

  • This sends a text with a link to download Signal.

STEP 2: Message Your Friend (Once They Join)

  • Once your friend has downloaded and set up Signal:

    • Go back to the Signal app.

    • Tap their name again under “Signal contacts.”

    • Start messaging—everything is end-to-end encrypted.

STEP 3: Try Extra Features

  • Disappearing Messages: Tap the chat name > “Disappearing messages” to auto-delete after a set time.

  • Voice & Video Calls: Tap the phone or video icon in the top-right corner of a chat.

  • Pin or archive chats for easy organization.