SECURE YOUR SIGNAL ACCOUNT

Protect your conversations, identity and devices.

Signal protects messages with end-to-end encryption, but your account and devices still need protection. Secure your registration, linked devices, app access and sensitive conversations.

Start with registration security.

Signal uses your phone number during registration, so protecting your number, Signal PIN and Registration Lock is an important part of protecting the account.

Your messages are stored on your devices. Signal does not keep a copy of your conversation history on its servers, so protecting your devices is also essential.

What should I never share?
Never give anyone your Signal verification code, Signal PIN, recovery key or payment information. Signal says it will not ask you for these secrets through a chat or call.
Is my Signal PIN the same as my phone PIN?
No. Your Signal PIN is different from your phone's screen-lock PIN. Signal's PIN helps protect your Signal account information and can also be used for Registration Lock.
Does a disappearing message guarantee privacy?
No. Disappearing Messages remove messages from your devices after the timer expires, but a recipient can still preserve information before it disappears, for example by photographing the screen.
SIGNAL ACCOUNT SECURITY

Protect registration, devices and conversations.

Work through these checks one at a time. After each important change, use the VERIFY section to confirm that the protection is actually active.

Set a strong Signal PIN

Your Signal PIN helps protect your profile and other account information and can also support Registration Lock.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Open Signal.
  2. Tap your profile icon to open Settings.
  3. Open Account.
  4. Select Change your PIN if you already have a PIN, or follow Signal's setup instructions if you are creating one.
  5. Create a strong Signal PIN that you can remember or store securely.
  6. Do not use a PIN that another person can easily guess.
  7. Never share your Signal PIN with another person.

VERIFY: Confirm that your Signal PIN is active and that you know where it is securely stored.

Enable Registration Lock

Registration Lock adds your Signal PIN as an additional requirement when your phone number is registered again on another device.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Open Signal.
  2. Tap your profile icon.
  3. Open Account.
  4. Find Registration Lock.
  5. Enable Registration Lock.
  6. Confirm the setting when Signal asks you to do so.
  7. Make sure you remember your Signal PIN, because Signal cannot reset it for you.

VERIFY: Return to Account settings and confirm that Registration Lock is enabled.

Turn on Signal Screen Lock

Signal's Screen Lock uses your phone's PIN, passphrase or biometric authentication to help prevent someone with physical access to your device from opening Signal.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Make sure your phone has a secure screen lock enabled.
  2. Open Signal.
  3. Tap your profile icon.
  4. Open Privacy.
  5. Find Screen Lock.
  6. Turn on Screen Lock.
  7. Set an appropriate Screen Lock Timeout.
  8. If you use Android, learn how to manually lock Signal when you leave the app.

VERIFY: Leave Signal and return to it after the timeout. Confirm that Signal requires your device authentication before showing your conversations.

Hide Signal previews and screen content

Screen Security can reduce the amount of Signal content displayed in the app switcher and can help prevent screenshots on your own device.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Open Signal.
  2. Tap your profile icon.
  3. Open Privacy.
  4. On Android, find Screen Security.
  5. On iOS, look for Hide Screen in App Switcher.
  6. Enable the available screen privacy option.
  7. Test the app switcher to confirm that Signal content is no longer displayed in the way you intended to prevent.

VERIFY: Open your device's app switcher and confirm that your Signal conversations are protected from casual viewing.

Review linked devices

Signal can be linked to desktop and other supported devices. Remove anything you do not recognize.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Open Signal on your phone.
  2. Tap your profile icon.
  3. Open Linked devices.
  4. Review every device currently connected to your Signal account.
  5. Check the device names and last-used information where shown.
  6. If you recognize a device and still use it, you can leave it linked.
  7. If you do not recognize a device, select it and choose Unlink.
  8. When in doubt, remove an unfamiliar linked device rather than leaving it connected.

VERIFY: Review Linked devices again and confirm that every remaining device is one you recognize and control.

Verify a contact's safety number

A Signal safety number helps you verify the security of a specific one-to-one conversation. It is especially useful for sensitive communication.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Open the Signal conversation with the person you want to verify.
  2. Tap the chat header or open the chat settings.
  3. Select View Safety Number.
  4. Compare the safety number with your contact using a trusted method.
  5. For particularly sensitive communication, compare it in person or scan the contact's QR code when appropriate.
  6. If the numbers match, select Mark as Verified.
  7. If the safety number changes later, investigate the change before assuming that nothing has happened.

VERIFY: A verified conversation should show the verification indicator in the chat header, and you should understand why any later safety-number change occurred.

Pay attention to safety number changes

Signal normally alerts you when a contact's safety number changes. An unexpected or repeated change deserves verification.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Read the safety number change notification instead of dismissing it automatically.
  2. Consider whether the contact recently changed phones or reinstalled Signal.
  3. For sensitive conversations, contact the person through a trusted channel.
  4. Open the conversation and select View Safety Number.
  5. Compare the new safety number with the contact using a trusted method.
  6. If it matches, choose Mark as Verified.
  7. If the change is unexpected or cannot be verified, pause sensitive communication until you confirm the person's identity.

VERIFY: Confirm that you understand the reason for the safety-number change before continuing sensitive communication.

Use disappearing messages when appropriate

Disappearing Messages can reduce how long message history remains on your devices, but they should not be treated as a guarantee that the recipient cannot preserve a copy.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Open the Signal conversation where you want to use disappearing messages.
  2. Open the chat settings.
  3. Select Disappearing Messages.
  4. Choose an appropriate timer.
  5. For a default setting, open Settings → Privacy → Default timer for new chats.
  6. Remember that disappearing messages can be changed by participants depending on the conversation.
  7. Do not assume that disappearing messages prevent someone from photographing or otherwise preserving information before it disappears.

VERIFY: Confirm that the conversation displays the disappearing-message timer and that you understand what the feature does and does not protect against.

Control who can find or contact you

Signal provides privacy controls for phone-number visibility and discovery, helping you decide how easily other people can connect your phone number to your Signal account.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Open Signal.
  2. Tap your profile icon.
  3. Open Privacy.
  4. Review the available Phone Number privacy settings.
  5. Decide who should be able to see your phone number.
  6. Review who can find you using your phone number.
  7. If you use a Signal username, remember that people may still contact you through that identifier.

VERIFY: Review the Phone Number privacy settings again and confirm that the selected visibility and discovery options match your intentions.

Block and report suspicious contacts

Use Signal's blocking and spam-reporting controls when an unknown person sends suspicious messages or tries to manipulate you.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Do not respond to an unexpected request for codes, passwords, money or sensitive information.
  2. Open the suspicious message request or conversation.
  3. Use Signal's available Report Spam option when appropriate.
  4. Choose Block if you do not want the person to contact you again.
  5. Do not click suspicious links or scan unexpected QR codes.
  6. Remember that Signal does not verify people's identities simply because they use a particular profile name or photograph.

VERIFY: Confirm that suspicious contacts have been blocked or reported and that you have not shared security information with them.

Protect your Signal verification code

The SMS or phone verification code used during registration is a security credential and must never be given to another person.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. When registering Signal, enter your phone numberyourself.
  2. Wait for the official Signal verification code.
  3. Enter the code only in the legitimate Signal registration process.
  4. Never send the code to someone who contacts you by phone, SMS, email or another messaging service.
  5. If someone asks for your code, stop communicating with them and consider the possibility of an account takeover attempt.
  6. Review Linked devices and Registration Lock if you suspect someone attempted to register your number.

VERIFY: Confirm that you have not shared your Signal verification code with anyone and that no unauthorized device is linked to your account.

Keep Signal and your device updated

Security features depend on current software. Keep Signal and your phone's operating system updated.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Open your device's app store.
  2. Check whether an update is available for Signal.
  3. Install the latest legitimate Signal update.
  4. Open your phone's system update settings.
  5. Install available security and operating-system updates from the legitimate device manufacturer.
  6. Avoid installing Signal from unofficial sources.

VERIFY: Confirm that Signal is running the current legitimate version available for your device and that your operating system is up to date.

Secure Signal after a lost or stolen phone

If your phone is lost or stolen, protect the account and replace the device as soon as you regain access to your phone number.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Contact your mobile provider and secure your phone number and SIM.
  2. If you regain access to your phone number on a replacement device, install the latest Signal app.
  3. Register Signal on the replacement phone using your phone number.
  4. Understand that registering the new phone will stop new messaging and calling on the old phone.
  5. Set or confirm your Signal PIN.
  6. Enable Registration Lock.
  7. Review Linked devices and remove anything unfamiliar.
  8. Enable Screen Lock and protect the replacement phone with a strong device lock.

VERIFY: Confirm that the old phone can no longer receive new Signal messages or calls and that your replacement device is the active account device.

Secure your account after suspicious activity

If you discover an unfamiliar linked device, unexpected registration activity or another warning sign, treat the account as potentially compromised.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

  1. Stop sharing codes, PINs or sensitive information.
  2. Open Signal Settings → Account.
  3. Confirm your Signal PIN.
  4. Confirm that Registration Lock is enabled.
  5. Review Linked devices and remove unfamiliar devices.
  6. Review important conversations for unexpected safety-number changes.
  7. Secure your phone number and SIM if you suspect unauthorized registration.
  8. Update Signal and your phone's operating system.
  9. If you cannot safely regain control, use Signal's official support guidance rather than giving your codes or PIN to someone offering to help.

VERIFY: Do not return to normal account use until you have reviewed your linked devices, registration protection and phone-number security.

Something does not look right?

If you find an unfamiliar login, changed recovery information, unexpected security alerts or another sign that someone may have accessed your account, stop the normal security check and move to the recovery process.

I think my account is compromised →
Still need help?

If you have worked through the relevant settings and something still looks wrong, do not give your security secrets to someone promising to fix the account. Use the service's official support and recovery resources for service-specific account problems.

For broader cybersecurity problems, you can also use the professional assistance pathway on this platform.

Need Professional Help? →
Signal security is not a one-time task.

Review important account settings periodically, especially after a password change, device change, suspicious message or unexpected login alert.

VERIFY BEFORE YOU TRUST.

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