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Troubleshooting Android On-device backups

Signal On-device Backups create an encrypted backup file stored locally on your Android device. 

1. Confirm you’re using an Android phone.

  • On-device backups are not available on iOS.
  • If you’re switching to iPhone, your only option is to use Signal Secure Backups. 

2. Verify On-Device Backups are enabled

  • Open Signal > Settings > Backups > On-device backups.
  • Turn on On-device backups.
  • If this was never enabled, no backup file exists. 

3. Locate your backup file

  • The backup file is stored locally on your device.
  • You must:
    • Keep the backup file.
    • Transfer it manually if changing phones.
  • If the file is deleted or lost, the backup cannot be restored.

Backup Filename Format

signal-backup-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM-SS

4. Confirm you have your passphrase

  • On-device backups are protected by a recovery key.
  • This key is required to restore the backup.
  • Signal cannot recover or reset your recovery key for you.

5. Restore during initial setup

  • On-device backups can only be restored: 
    1. During registration.
  • If you missed the restore prompt:
    1. Uninstall Signal.
    2. Reinstall Signal.
    3. Restore during registration.

6. Platform and use-case limitations

  • On-device Backups work only when:
    • Transferring between Android and Desktop devices.
  • They do not support: 
    • Transferring from Android to iOS or vice versa.
    • Transferring from iOS to Android or vice versa.

7. Understand what is excluded

  • Backups include: 
    • Messages.
    • Media available at time of backup.
  • Excluded:
    • View-once messages.
    • Messages disappearing within 24 hours.

8. Not compatible with Secure Backups

  • On-device Backups and Secure Backups are separate features.
  • You cannot restore:
    • An On-device backup using Secure Backups.
    • A Secure Backup using the on-device restore option.
    • If you have both an On-device backup and a Signal Secure Backup, they may have the same recovery key. 

Common issues

9. Backup file missing

  • If the backup file isn’t present on the device, restore is not possible.
  • File managers or cleanup apps may delete it unintentionally.

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