Android
- Download and install Signal Android
- Confirm you've completed a backup on your old phone and transferred files to your new phone.
- Enter your 30-digit passphrase for your backup.
- Register with your new phone number. All new messaging and calling will be handled by this new phone.
- Ask your contacts to send messages in or update any groups that they share with you.
- Re-link any instances of Signal Desktop.
- Leave all groups
You may want to notify your group members that you will be leaving the group and will need them to add your new number to the group. - Unregister your Signal number
This will prevent you from missing messages until your contacts update their phones with your new number. - Register with your new number.
- Ask your contacts to add your new number to groups that you left.
- Re-link any instances of Signal Desktop.
What if I do not have access to my old number?
- Just as you would do this for your non-Signal contacts who only send you SMS, tell your Signal contacts about your new number and ask them to remove the old number.
- Messages and calls to your old number will go undelivered.
What if someone registers with my old number?
If someone were to register with your old number on a new phone, then they will have an empty message history. Your contacts will also be made aware of a safety number change if they start messaging with the old number.
iOS
New iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with the same number
Follow these steps to set up Signal on a new device using information from your current device.
New iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with a new number
- On your old device,
- Leave all groups.
You may want to notify your group members that you will be leaving the group and will need them to add your new number to the group. - Unregister your Signal number.
This will prevent you from missing messages until your contacts update their phones with your new number.
- Leave all groups.
- On your new device, Download and install Signal iOS and register with your new number.
- All new messaging and calling will be handled by this new phone.
- A new install of Signal also generates a new safety number with your contacts.
- An iTunes or iCloud backup does not contain any of your message history. Only new messages, not conversation history, will be displayed.
- Ask your contacts to send messages in or update any groups that they share with you.
- Re-link any instances of Signal Desktop.
New phone number on the same phone
- Leave all groups.
You may want to notify your group members that you will be leaving the group and will need them to add your new number to the group. - Unregister your Signal number.
This will prevent you from missing messages until your contacts update their phones with your new number. - Uninstall and Reinstall Signal with your new number. You will start Signal with an empty message history.
- Ask your contacts to add your new number to the groups that you left.
- Re-link any instances of Signal Desktop.
What if I do not have access to my old number?
- Just as you would do this for your non-Signal contacts who only send you SMS, tell your Signal contacts about your new number and ask them to delete the old number so there is no confusion.
- Messages and calls to your old number will go undelivered.
What if someone registers with my old number?
If someone were to register with your old number on a new phone, then they will have an empty message history. Your contacts will also be made aware of a safety number change if they start messaging with the old number.
Desktop
New phone
- Register on your new phone.
- Close and restart Signal Desktop or your computer.
- Open and re-link Signal Desktop. Your existing message history on this Signal Desktop instance will remain if you are linking with the same phone number that you previously used.
- Unregister your Signal number.
This will prevent you from missing messages until your contacts update their phones with your new number. - Delete account from within Signal Desktop. This will clear your message history on this Signal Desktop instance.