this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2025
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Signal will finally let you transfer your encrypted chat history to new linked devices (mas.to)
submitted 1 month ago by ForgottenFlux@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
108 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Signal has announced new functionality in its upcoming beta releases, allowing users to transfer messages and media when linking their primary Signal device to a new desktop or iPad. This feature offers the choice to carry over chats and the last 45 days of media, or to start fresh with only new messages.

The transfer process is end-to-end encrypted, ensuring privacy. It involves creating a compressed, encrypted archive of your Signal data, which is then sent to the new device via Signal's servers. Despite handling the transfer, the servers cannot access the message content due to the encryption.

With the introduction of a cross-platform archive format, Signal is also exploring additional tools for message transfer to new devices or restoration in case of device loss or damage. Users can begin testing this feature soon, with a wider rollout expected in the coming weeks.

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[–] treadful@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 month ago (15 children)

No records means an adversary can't pull off an entire lifetime of communication history if a device is compromised. Signal is not the medium in which I'm interested in keeping records.

[–] essteeyou@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago (13 children)

I see. I just don't have adversaries, and if they got hold of the memes and inane conversations I have about whose turn it is to pick up the kid from school then good luck to them.

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 month ago (9 children)

If you don't have adversaries then why not use SMS? Though this just ends up with the tired old "if you have nothing to hide" argument that I'm not really interested in repeating.

Those examples also don't sound like things you'll need to look up months or years down the line, either. So why not just let them fade away?

[–] essteeyou@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

The "nothing to hide" thing is a bad argument, IMO. I've got nothing to hide, but I lock the bathroom door when I go in there.

Sometimes it's been useful to go back through a chat history and find something someone said in the past. A group I'm in regularly rings up old references from a year before. I like it.

I'm a bit of a digital hoarder though. I keep blurry photos from years ago, no clue why.

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