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Signal will remove support for SMS text messages on Android

Signal stated in a blog post that users would have many months to migrate away from SMS, export their SMS communications to another app, and notify their contacts that they may wish to convert to Signal or find another channel if they do not.

Signal will remove support for SMS text messages on Android. In an effort to improve the user experience and give security and privacy first priority, Signal says it will gradually stop supporting SMS and MMS messages in its Android app.

Since its inception as TextSecure, a program that used the Axolotl Ratchet protocol, the Signal for Android app has been able to be set as the default SMS/MMS app, which may startle individuals who are unaware that Signal can also be used to manage this form of text message.

“The day has come where SMS assistance is no longer justified. We are beginning to remove SMS functionality from the Android app to provide a more simplified Signal experience, “the business wrote in a blog entry yesterday.

You will have a few months to move from SMS to Signal, export your SMS communications to another app, and inform the individuals you speak to that they may want to switch to Signal or find another channel if they don’t.

Only Android users who have made Signal their default SMS app will be impacted by the change. Signal will begin alerting them to export their SMS messages and change their default SMS management app.

Both Signal and non-Signal contacts are seen in the contact list when Signal is used as the unified Android messaging app, with Signal ones indicated with a blue letter.

The major reason for this change was the insecurity of plain text SMS communications, which may be intercepted using a variety of techniques and provide global mobile carriers access to message information.

The business said that even if they are both marked as secure, having unencrypted SMS messages next to secure Signal communications in the same interface might easily cause misunderstanding.

“Only a small portion of Europe and the US provide cheap/unlimited SMS services. Generally speaking, the global south is in desperate need of overlay services that people may utilise in place of SMS because SMS is so expensive there “said Signal.

Last but not least, a third justification offered by Signal for this decision is that, due to high prices in some regions of the world, sending SMS messages by mistake instead of Signal messages might result in exorbitant phone bills.

“For those of you who use Signal on Android for SMS texting in addition to sending Signal messages, we are aware that this move will be upsetting. Having to change how you connect with the people that important to you seldom feels nice, “added signal

We didn’t take this decision lightly, but we do think it’s vital to make sure Signal continues to uphold the greatest privacy standards.

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