Downloading and installing the application

Signal

Available on PC, smartphone and tablet, Signal is an Open Source instant messaging software, simple, fast, ad-free and completely secure and encrypted.

If you are here, it is because you have probably decided to abandon WhatsApp since the General Conditions of Use of this messaging service make it possible to exchange personal data with Facebook, its parent company. Even though the GDPR theoretically protects European users, why not take the lead by switching to Signal?

Of course, and unsurprisingly, the first step is to install the application. It can be found directly in the Apple iOS and Google Android stores. Huawei smartphone users deprived of Google services will find the APK very simply by using Petal Search. At the time of writing, we found version 5.0.8 there (compared to 5.1.9 on the official Play Store). Of course, installation and use are free. Signal also exists for computers running macOS, Windows 10 and Linux. Their use is only possible if the application is previously installed and configured on your smartphone.

Creating an account

When first launched on iOS, the Signal application directly launches the creation of an account by first asking to grant permissions to contacts and notifications. On Android, it's not quite the same thing since the app offers you the possibility of loading a backup of your conversations and contacts from a previous installation of Signal.

You will then need to enter your phone number and country. This triggers the sending of a six-digit code in the form of an SMS.

Then you must put your first name and, it is not mandatory, your last name. You can also use a nickname of your choice.