Top 5 Secret Signal APP Tips!

Signal Messenger seems simple enough, but here are some super cool, life-changing tips that will step up your Signal game for you and your contacts. Take it from the massive Signal ship: we have five awesome Signal tips and two smaller bonus ones that are all things I’ve shown to people that cause the “OH” moment. Let’s get right into it.

Tip 1: Switch Between SMS and Signal Messaging

If you’re an Android user who also uses Signal as your default SMS app, you can message both standard and Signal contacts from the same place. Maybe you or a contact are out of cell data, or your friend tried Signal but deleted the app, so they don’t get Signal messages anymore. By default, Signal only sends messages through Signal if both contacts use it. However, you can hold on the send button and switch to standard SMS. This feature blows people’s minds the first time they see it and is a great backup option if Signal is ever down or experiencing issues.

Tip 2: Swipe to Reply and Keep Conversations Organized

Keeping track of a longer conversation can be tricky. If someone sends you numerous messages, or you need to get back to a message from a long time ago, you can swipe on any message and respond to it directly. Tapping on the quoted message takes either contact to the original message so they can read it in its entirety. This feature makes discussions more engaging and easier to follow, especially for those who tend to send a lot of messages.

Tip 3: Use Signal for Note Taking

Signal has a built-in note-taking feature that allows you to send yourself messages that show up on all devices synced to your Signal account, including desktops. This is great for basic notes, sharing images between devices, URLs, or even shopping lists. For digital minimalists, this feature can replace a separate notes app, streamlining your device’s app list. To get started, create a new conversation and type “note to self”—you’re good to go!

Tip 4: Built-in Snapchat-like Features

For those who love Snapchat, Signal has a diet Snapchat built into it. You can take images inside Signal, draw on them, add stickers, text, and crop them. You can even set photos to be viewed only once. For videos, just hold on the shutter button like on Snapchat. While it won’t replace all of Snapchat’s functionality, it’s a great alternative for basic photo editing and privacy-focused image sharing.

Bonus Tip 1: Custom Sticker Packs

You can add custom sticker packs to Signal. There are hundreds of options on the community website, and if you’re ambitious, you can even create your own pack. Check out the Henry sticker pack we made—link in the description below.

Bonus Tip 2: Automated Backups

Easily create automated backups of your Signal messages. This way, you can save a copy of important conversations. To get started, go to your settings and enable backups. Remember, keeping backups is crucial.

Tip 5: Disappearing Messages

Disappearing messages automatically delete from both parties’ devices after a designated amount of time. I set a four-week timer as a default for all contacts, so all my conversations auto-disappear. This feature is great for discussing sensitive topics and ensuring messages are deleted from all devices promptly. It’s a function that can be used for many purposes and something that should be more common in mainstream messengers.

Final Bonus Tip: Insight Score

Because you stuck around to the end of the post, here’s an extra tip. On Android, you can click “Insight Score” in the menu to see the percentage of messages you send through Signal. This is useful if you use Signal as your SMS app. iOS users, unfortunately, don’t have this feature due to Apple’s restrictions.

Conclusion

I absolutely love Signal and use it for everything in my life. What are your thoughts on Signal? Are there any other nifty features we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Our mission is to spread privacy to the masses, and you can help us achieve that by supporting us on Patreon or via Monero. See you next time. Thank you for reading!