Signal users can now create encrypted backups on iPhones and desktop computers, extending a feature previously available on Android. With version 8.30, Signal local backups also adopt a shared format across platforms, bringing more consistency to saving and restoring conversations.
The release completes the first phase of Signal’s backup project across Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Users Get More Control Over Chat Storage
The update gives iOS and desktop users an on-device alternative to Signal’s hosted backup service. Meanwhile, Android backups move to the same cross-platform format.
Local backups have no service-imposed size limit, although users still need enough storage for their files.
Signal’s free hosted option retains 45 days of media and supports up to 128 KB per message. Paid plans, meanwhile, provide 100 GB of storage.
Both methods encrypt the backup contents and require a recovery key to restore them. However, their key protection systems differ.
Hosted backups add another key that rotates daily inside a Trusted Execution Environment. Signal says this provides additional protection and forward secrecy.
One Recovery Key Can Unlock Earlier Local Archives
For on-device backups, the recovery key remains capable of decrypting every previous archive created with that key. Moving those files to another storage location does not change that relationship.
Consequently, protecting the key matters as much as protecting the backup files themselves. Someone who obtains both could access the contents of those archives.
Signal backup recovery keys have already attracted attackers’ attention, highlighting their value as a route to private conversations.
Attachment Changes Reduce Duplicate Storage
Alongside the expanded platform support, Signal has changed how backups handle media. It now stores attachments separately from the main archive and retains only one copy of duplicate files.
As a result, users avoid repeatedly backing up and syncing identical media.
Newly linked devices can also retrieve older attachments missing from their chat history. This helps fill gaps when someone connects an additional device through their primary one.
In addition, paying users gain an option to remove older media from local storage while keeping thumbnails. Signal then retrieves the full files from hosted backups when needed.
Signal Local Backups Respect Disappearing Message Rules
Neither backup method includes disappearing messages configured to vanish within 24 hours.
However, hosted and local backups remain separate copies. Using the hosted service does not erase existing on-device archives.
During restoration, Signal skips disappearing messages from local backups if their expiry time has already passed. Therefore, retaining an older archive does not mean those expired messages will return to the conversation.
iPhone Transfers Gain a Direct Wireless Connection
Version 8.30 also introduces direct iPhone-to-iPhone transfers through a local, end-to-end encrypted Wi-Fi Aware connection.
According to Signal, this approach improves transfer speed and reliability when moving between iPhones.
With the initial backup rollout complete, the company says its engineers will turn their attention to improvements elsewhere in the app.
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