On February 8, 2021, WhatsApp will be changing its privacy policy. Under this new policy, it will be sharing the user’s phone numbers, location, last login details, and profile pictures and names with Facebook along with some additional details. This compelled people to move to an alternative texting application like Signal that respects the privacy of its users.
As per Reuters, the daily downloads of Signal have increased by 18 times since the announcement of WhatsApp new policy is out. This means that more than 800,000 downloads of the application is occurring on a daily basis. Partial credit for this boost in download numbers goes to the CEO of Tesla Elon Musk who tweeted earlier this month to use Signal.
Like WhatsApp, you can message and call your family and friends using Signal that is end-to-end encrypted. Even the company will not be able to read your texts if it wants to. That’s how secure the application is. Signal supports videos, pictures, GIFs, and group messaging like other applications. You can also video call in groups. However, this feature is only limited to 5 users for now. The application is free to download on different platforms.
Signal is a registered nonprofit organisation that is entirely depended not on donations for managing its operations. The application does not have any ads and you can text on it for free.
How to Use Signal?
- Enter your phone number and wait for Signal to send you a text.
- Enter the code and tap on “Register without transferring.”
- If you have used the application before, tap the appropriate option.
- Now your account is created.
- You can click the pencil icon on your top-right screen for creating a new message.
