The latest Signal update for Android introduces an optional way to create a Signal account. Signal Login lets you create and use a Signal account without a phone number. Instead, you make a small one-time purchase, and Signal gives you a set of cryptographic keys that serve as your account identity going forward.
Understanding your keys.
Once your purchase completes, Signal generates two separate keys for your account. These replace the phone number as proof of who you are:
| Key | Length | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Account Key | 32 characters | Identifies your Signal account |
| Recovery Key | 64 characters | Restores your message history and media from a backup. |
There is no phone number fallback. If you lose both of these keys, Signal has no way to recover your account for you. Store them somewhere private, ideally in a password manager.
To register without a phone number for the first time without restoring a backup:
- Launch Signal.
- Tap Continue.
- Allow Permissions and tap Continue.
- Tap Register Without Phone Number.
- Select to pay the $2.99 fee using Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- View your 32-digit Account key and 64-digit Recovery Key then save it manually or to a Password Manager.
- Confirm your Signal Login to ensure you've recorded it correctly.
- Tap Continue to sign in with your Signal Login and Recovery key.
- Add an optional username and finish setting up your profile.
To register without a phone number using your existing Signal login and Recovery Key then restore a backup:
- Launch Signal.
- Tap Continue.
- Allow Permissions and tap Continue.
- Tap Register Without Phone Number.
- Select I have a Signal Login.
- Enter your 32-digit Account key and 64-digit Recovery Key.
- Tap Restore backup.
View your Account Key details
- On your phone, navigate to Signal Settings
.
- Tap your avatar to view your Signal Login and download your account data.
Linked Devices
Linked devices set up with a Signal Login account behave just like those linked to a phone with a number based account.
Linked devices will display your Signal Login card in account settings just like your primary device.
2FA and passkeys
- Two factor authentication and TOTP (Time-based One-Time Passwords) can be used to protect your phone numberless account.
Discovery and Usernames
If you register without a phone number and don't create a username, other users won't be able to find or contact you on Signal. Creating a username is optional and lets you control exactly how people can discover and connect with you — without ever sharing your phone number.
Please Note: Signal doesn't store a record linking your username to your identity, so if you forget or lose access to your username, our support team can't look it up or recover it for you. This is by design — it's the same privacy protection that keeps your data safe from everyone, including us.