Signal Will Stop Supporting SMS Messages On Android Devices

Encrypted messaging app Signal is working to stop supporting SMS messages on Android devices, in a bid to strengthen security.

Will remove SMS support on Android so that users’ messages on the app remain private and secure, says Signal.

Encrypted messaging app Signal is working to stop supporting SMS messages on Android devices, in a bid to strengthen security. The major change is supposed to take place soon and the encrypted messaging platform has said that it will remove SMS support on Android so that users’ messages on the app remain private and secure, the company has announced.

"...We have now reached the point where SMS support no longer makes sense. For those of you interested, we walk through our reasoning in more detail below. In order to enable a more streamlined Signal experience, we are starting to phase out SMS support from the Android app. You will have several months to transition away from SMS in Signal, to export your SMS messages to another app, and to let the people you talk to know that they might want to switch to Signal, or find another channel if not," Signal announced in a blog post late on Wednesday.

Even as SMS messaging is convenient, the technology behind SMS text is pretty old and is vulnerable to bugs, according to a report. SMS messaging service is also routed through wireless mobile carriers, which face issues of data breaches and leaks.

Who will be affected if Signal removes support for SMS messages on Android

The change will only impact users who use Signal as their default SMS app on Android devices. This means that you use Signal on Android to receive and send both Signal and SMS messages from within the Signal interface. 

If you use Signal as your default SMS app on Android, you will need to select a new default SMS app on your phone. If you want to keep them, you’ll also need to export your SMS messages from Signal into that new app.

"Exporting your SMS messages is optional, but it will let you keep your SMS message history in a new place on your phone. Your Signal messages will remain safe, secure, and unchanged," the company added.