Add Security to Your Signal App by Adding a PIN--Here's How

Cybersecurity is critical in today's world when attacks on people's security and privacy are being made online through hacking and malware. That's why if you're installing new apps on your phone, you need to be vigilant and check which information they store.

Encrypted Messaging Apps

Hackers can be extremely skilled and could hack various private accounts across the internet and could sell profiles or email addresses. Worst, they could peek into your phones and witness your conversations and at your most vulnerable, usually through messaging apps.

Nevertheless, many messaging and social media apps provide security through automatically encrypting your conversations or giving you an option to encrypt them.

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a method of securing your data in communication apps that guarantees no third-party will be able to access your convo. Thankfully, many apps and software now offer this layer of security.

Among those apps is the Signal messaging app.

Using Signal App and Adding PIN Codes

According to Lifehacker, Signal is already an encrypted app, meaning conversations aren't stored in Signal's servers, which means your conversations and details on it are safe.

However, not everything is kept private from their servers, meaning hackers can still get a few information such as your contacts and your account settings if they attempt to hack your Signal app.

To add another layer of defense, you can now add a PIN to your Signal app.

The new PIN feature guarantees extra security, privacy, and safety, plus it also makes it easier to move your accounts from one device to another. Only those who have the PIN will be able to access the stored data on the app's servers.

You can also lock your account with the new feature, so if somebody tries to access your account from a different device, a PIN will be required, and they won't be able to open it without the code you put in place.

Here's How to Add a PIN

The new feature should be available to every user now. New users will also be required to add a PIN as part of signing up for the app.

Here's how to add it:

1. Open your Signal app.
2. Tap the three-dot menu and then choose "Settings."
3. Choose "Privacy" and then scroll down until you see "Signal PIN" at the bottom.
4. Tap the "Change PIN" to either create or edit your PIN. Since you'll need your old PIN to edit and create a new one, make sure you never forget it.
5. PIN codes are automatically numerical, but you can add both letters and numbers by choosing "add alphanumeric PIN," which would strengthen your code and make it harder for hackers to guess. Note: PIN codes should be at least four numbers/letters long.
6. Tap "Next" to confirm your new code, and then you're done.

You could also enable the "Registration Lock" on the Privacy menu, which would require your PIN code whenever you are installing and logging in from a new device.

As much as possible, avoid using birthdays as codes since they can be quite easy to guess, especially if hackers have been following you or know more details about you.