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.
I use disappearing messages no longer than a week for all my Signal chats. Pretty surprised everyone’s out here keeping long records over this medium.
Why?
Being able to back up and then encrypt the messages on cold storage for when I may need to go back through an old conversation doesn’t negate something like disappearing messages.
It’s the best of both worlds, messages go away over time so if you lose your phone / it’s compromised, you don’t give up the goose, but you also have a nice safe stored version in the off chance you need it.
The danger imo isn’t in having the messages at all, it’s more about how, when they are just on your phone or whatever, they are generally not locked down.