Signal has always had the best cryptography of the mainstream messengers — the Signal Protocol underpins WhatsApp and Messenger too — but for years it had a strange usability hole: to message anyone on Signal, you needed their phone number. This was awkward for the audience Signal cares about most, which is people who don't want to hand out their number.
In early 2024, Signal shipped usernames. As of 2026, this is the preferred way to hand out your Signal contact. Here's how it works and what still requires a phone number.
Phone number is still your account root
Every Signal account is registered with a phone number. That hasn't changed. The number stays on Signal's servers as a credential, but by default it's no longer visible to other users or searchable.
Usernames: chosen, changeable, discardable
A Signal username looks like username.42 — a chosen name plus two or more digits Signal appends to keep uniqueness. You set it in Settings → Profile → Username.
- Usernames are not shown in chats. Only display names and phone numbers (if you shared yours) are visible in a chat.
- You can change your username anytime. When you do, the old one becomes available for others to claim.
- You can delete your username entirely, becoming unreachable by anyone who doesn't already have your number.
Username links (signal.me/#u/…)
Signal generates a signal.me/#u/… URL from your username. Anyone who taps it on a phone with Signal installed gets a "start chat with @username" prompt. You can share this link freely — it doesn't leak your phone number.
Discovery settings
In Settings → Privacy → Phone Number, you control two things:
- Who can see my number — Nobody, My Contacts, or Everybody. Default is Nobody as of 2024. Chats can happen without either side seeing the other's number.
- Who can find me by number — Nobody or Everybody. If Nobody, only usernames and invite links reach you.
How Ringlink uses signal.me
Two paths:
- Number path — Ringlink opens
https://signal.me/#p/+…which asks Signal to resolve the number to an account. Works if the target user has "Find me by number" enabled. - Username path — Enter
@username(or paste asignal.me/#u/…URL) in Ringlink's Username field, tap Signal. We open the corresponding username link. This is the more reliable path in 2026.
When Signal is worth it
Signal isn't trying to be the most popular messenger. It's trying to be the most trustworthy one. Situations where Signal genuinely matters:
- You are a journalist and someone needs to leak documents to you.
- You handle sensitive legal, medical, or financial conversations.
- You travel through jurisdictions where you don't want message content or metadata subpoenaed.
- You want a messenger that doesn't monetize your behavior.
For casual chat with friends, Signal is fine, but the network effect is thin outside privacy-conscious circles. Most people install it, use it for a week, and drift back to WhatsApp or iMessage.
Multi-device
Signal used to bind chats to a single phone. Since 2023 you can link up to five devices, and message history syncs. Your primary device is still the phone; if you lose it, linked desktops become unusable until you re-register.
What Signal doesn't do
- No cloud backups. Chats are on-device. Migrate carefully when you switch phones.
- No search history from a fresh install. Your old chats are on the previous device only.
- No SMS integration on Android — Signal removed this feature in 2022 because it created security confusion.