According to MacRumors, Signal has rolled out secure backups for iPhone users with both free and paid options available immediately. The free version stores up to 100MB of text messages including photos, videos, and files from the last 45 days. The paid version costs $1.99 per month and backs up all text messages plus up to 100GB of media without the 45-day restriction. These end-to-end encrypted backups require a 64-character recovery key generated by the user’s device. If users lose this key, Signal cannot help recover the backups. Setting up the feature involves navigating to Settings → Backups → Setup → Enable Backups in the Signal app.
The encryption trade-off
Here’s the thing about Signal’s approach: they’re sticking to their privacy-first guns. The 64-character recovery key means even Signal can’t access your backups. That’s great for security, but it puts all the responsibility on you. Lose that key? Your messages are gone forever. It’s the classic privacy versus convenience trade-off. Basically, you’re trading the “forgot password” safety net for absolute control over your data.
Playing catch-up and looking ahead
This iPhone rollout comes after secure backups launched on Android back in September. Signal’s playing a bit of catch-up between platforms, which has been a recurring theme. But they’re thinking bigger – the company says desktop backups are next, and eventually they want seamless message history transfers between Android, iPhone, and desktop. That’s the holy grail they’re chasing, and it would solve one of the biggest pain points for people switching phones.
The freemium model makes sense
The pricing structure is actually pretty clever. Free users get enough for basic message preservation, while power users who need extensive media storage pay $1.99 monthly. That’s significantly cheaper than many cloud storage services. And let’s be honest – how many people actually need to keep every single message and photo from years ago? For most users, the free tier covering recent conversations is probably sufficient. It’s a smart way to monetize without alienating the privacy-focused user base that made Signal popular in the first place.
