Signal will finally let you transfer your encrypted chat history to new linked devices

[forgottenflux@lemmy.world]

Signal has announced new functionality in its upcoming beta releases, allowing users to transfer messages and media when linking their primary Signal device to a new desktop or iPad. This feature offers the choice to carry over chats and the last 45 days of media, or to start fresh with only new messages.

The transfer process is end-to-end encrypted, ensuring privacy. It involves creating a compressed, encrypted archive of your Signal data, which is then sent to the new device via Signal's servers. Despite handling the transfer, the servers cannot access the message content due to the encryption.

With the introduction of a cross-platform archive format, Signal is also exploring additional tools for message transfer to new devices or restoration in case of device loss or damage. Users can begin testing this feature soon, with a wider rollout expected in the coming weeks.

[muntedcrocodile@lemm.ee]

When they gonna allow sign up without a phone number. Or allow federation with 3rd party signal severs. Or allow sign up without a phone number that's linked to ur real identity by law in most countries.

The more I learn about signal the less I trust them.

[vollkorntomate@infosec.pub]

I’m still waiting for the day that I can make a full backup of my chats and save it on an external hard drive so that I won’t lose all of my message history when I lose my phone.

[johnworks@sh.itjust.works]

You can on Android. If you have an iPhone you can link using the molly signal fork on an android device and then backup using that.

[supernova1051@sh.itjust.works]

The day security researchers say Signal is bad is the day I'll stop using it. Until then, it's the best option we have that both provides both great privacy and UX. The only thing that comes close - and it still has a ways to go - is SimpleX, but it's basically a signal fork and it's devs still support Signal.

[geometrinen_gepardi@sopuli.xyz]

Why is backing up chats so important for people? I see it as an advantage that chat history evaporates eventually. Important information should be stored somewhere where it's actually easy to find.

[noodlejetski@lemm.ee]

because believe it or not, sometimes important information gets mentioned in a normal conversation, and not everyone remembers to add it to their personal self-hosted wiki afterwards.
and some people, including myself, often go back a few years in a chat history to reference something, or reminisce.

[beejjorgensen@lemmy.sdf.org]

Should be, but sometimes it just isn't. I've definitely had plenty of times where I was like, oh shit, the only place I have that information is in this chat somewhere.

Other people, kind of like me, are just data hoarders. Just because I can't think of a use of the data now, doesn't mean I won't be able to think of one in the future! I have piles of old inboxes in my archives.

[beejjorgensen@lemmy.sdf.org]

I'm not bagging on signal, here, since I use it too. But what about xmpp? It does e2ee, right?

[essteeyou@lemmy.world]

People have different opinions about things. Why do you think it's good to lose chat history?

[mangopenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone]

Convenience mostly, privacy needs to be convenient and easy for people, otherwise no one uses the tools.

[povoq@slrpnk.net]

Security researchers always look at a specific thing, usually the encryption only. The message encryption of Signal is great, the problem is all the rest of it that never gets scrutinized that closely.

[thedarkquark@lemmy.world]

Original announcement: https://signal.org/blog/a-synchronized-start-for-linked-devices/

[povoq@slrpnk.net]

XMPP basically uses the same end to end encyption method as Signal, but due to it not being mandatory some things are easier but come with the footgun that you can accidentially disable it (but it is enabled by default in most modern xmpp clients).

Otherwise: since XMPP federates more servers can theoretically see some metadata, but since most servers are small and community run there isn't a single big target like with Signal where you can siphon off all the metadata. So you can make arguments for both. XMPP: more meta data but decentralized, Signal: less metadata but all in one place.

[laintrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com]

Holy shit no way, basic functionality needed at absolutely all times, in my signal? More likely than you think!

Kudos to the Devs! Maybe time to give this app another shot!

[jackgreenearth@lemm.ee]

Why not use SimpleX then? You mention it but provide no real reason to use Signal over SimpleX

[muntedcrocodile@lemm.ee]

Hey u still use signal I'm not saying to stop using it I'm simply saying just cos its better than the alternatives doesn't mean we shouldn't demand better.

The signal encryption is provably secure that's what the researchers analyse. The metadata is a separate story.

See: https://lemm.ee/comment/17831982

[laintrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com]

You have no S.O. or friends you'd want to look back on chats with from 2-5 years ago to reminisce about how you met or something you did?

[bisby@lemmy.world]

XMPP has been an option for decades, if your contacts aren't using it by now, they arent going to. And with communications tools, both parties have to agree on a tool. Even if one party doesn't care about privacy or security.

Raw brute force security isn't the point most of the time, and ease of use and simplicity of setup are going to be major factors in adoption. Signal is much easier to get started with for most people than XMPP.

[asetru@feddit.org]

What about threema?