Signal Usernames Are Here To Protect Your Phone Number And Privacy

If you don’t want to hand out your phone number to chat with someone on Signal, you can now create a unique username, Signal has said.

End-to-end encrypted messenger Signal has recently unveiled a new update dubbed "Signal usernames", which is aimed at providing improved privacy features and an alternative method to connect with users on the platform without disclosing your phone number. Moving forward, the phone number will no longer be visible to all users by default in Signal app. This is similar to last year's reports that suggested Signal rival, Meta-owned WhatsApp was also developing a usernames feature.

Users on Signal can now generate a distinctive username to use instead (though a phone number is still required for Signal registration). The company has mentioned that these options are being tested in beta, and will be rolling out to users globally in the coming weeks. It has to be noted that even as these features reach everyone, both the user and the people you are chatting with on Signal will need to be using the most updated version of the app.

“People who have your number saved in their phone’s contacts will still see your phone number since they already know it,” the company said in a statement.

“A username is not the profile name that’s displayed in chats, it’s not a permanent handle, and not visible to the people you are chatting with in Signal. A username is simply a way to initiate contact on Signal without sharing your phone number,” Signal noted.

How To Keep Number Private On Signal

Users can also choose to enable a newly introduced optional privacy setting on the Signal app.

"If you don’t want to hand out your phone number to chat with someone on Signal, you can now create a unique username that you can use instead (you will still need a phone number to sign up for Signal). Note that a username is not the profile name that’s displayed in chats, it’s not a permanent handle, and not visible to the people you are chatting with in Signal. A username is simply a way to initiate contact on Signal without sharing your phone number," the company further explained.

After the new update is applied, your phone number will only be displayed to individuals who have saved it in their phone's contacts. You can exert more control over who can view your phone number by adjusting settings located in Settings > Privacy > Phone Number > Who can see my number.