The advert-free app allows people to share pictures, videos, documents, voice messages and their location. They can add words and special effects to their pictures. Signal enables people to write ‘disappearing messages’ (which cannot be seen after a set period of time) or a ‘story’ (several photos or videos that appear in a slideshow format and disappear after 24 hours). Signal uses end-to-end encryption so only the people who send and receive a message (or make a voice or video call) can access what has been shared, no one in between (including Signal). A user can send and receive money using the in-app payments feature.
There are no parental controls on Signal. Safety settings include the ability to block a user or group and turn off ‘read receipts’, which prevent others knowing if their message or story has been viewed or when they are typing a message. Users can prevent others finding them using their phone number. They can create a unique private username that a person needs to know in order to contact them on Signal (not the same as the profile name displayed when chatting).