Signal App vs WhatsApp: Key features; all you need to know

Many users are in a mood to ditch WhatsApp and switch to Signal after the changes in WhatsApp's privacy policy. The app has been endorsed by personalities like Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, American whistleblower Edward Snowden, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Oscar-winning filmmaker and journalist Laura Poitras.

What is Signal App?

Signal is a messaging application which can be downloaded on Apple (iPhone and iPad), Android, and Mac and Linux devices. The app that has the tagline "Say hello to privacy". It has been developed by the Signal Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC. The Signal Foundation was created by WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton and current CEO of Signal Messenger Moxie Marlinspike. Acton left WhatsApp in 2017 and donated $50 million to fund Signal.

Key features of Signal app

Like WhatsApp, users will get features like secure messaging, voice and video calls with end-to-end encryption. Users can also create groups albeit without the option to broadcast messages to various contacts at once. The app has also added the group chat feature recently.

Users can add up to 150 members in groups on Signal and not everyone is automatically added to the group. People are sent an invite to join a group unlike WhatsApp where if someone has your phone number they can directly add you to a group. Signal also offers a disappearing feature which you can set for each individual chat for duration of 5 seconds to one week.

Is Signal App better than WhatsApp?

Unlike WhatsApp, Signal has the option to write a "note to self" rather than forming a single person group to send notes to oneself.

Users can also utilise the "note to self feature" while chatting on other groups. Besides this, Signal app also allows users to relay their voice calls to app servers to conceal their identity from their contacts.

Not only this, Signal also collects much less user data compared to WhatsApp. When WhatsApp collects a huge pile of data including device ID, user ID, phone number, email address, contacts, advertising data and payment information, Signal only collects users' phone numbers.

Is Signal App fully secure?

The app that has become the most downloaded app on Apple App Store. It uses the open-source Signal Protocol to implement end-to-end encryption. The end-to-end encryption on Signal covers all forms of communication just like WhatsApp. Going one step further, this app goes ahead and encrypts the users' metadata as well.

In a bid to protect user data, Signal has the "Sealed Sender" feature under which no one will be able to figure out who is sending and receiving messages. This app encrypts all files with a four-digit passphrase and users can also get a local backup. This app also encrypts group calls.

Also read: Signal climbs to top of free apps category on App Store after WhatsApp row

Also read: WhatsApp vs Signal vs Telegram: WhatsApp's new policy sparks concerns, Telegram, Signal roast