Signal is a very useful app that can be used on multiple devices. However, if you bought a new phone you may want to retrieve or transfer your message history. Today we will give you the steps to do it on Android, iOS and PC .
Index( )
- In what situations is the Signal backup not recoverable?
- By not having the previous device
- By formatting the device
- You changed your phone number
- What requirements must your device meet to be able to recover the Signal backup?
- They have a stable internet connection
- Possibility of receiving an SMS message
- The updated Signal app
- Procedure to restore backed up Signal messages
- On Android
- With iOS
- From the Desktop
- How can you reactivate the backup of your messages in Signal?
In what situations is the Signal backup not recoverable?
Recovery of backup copies in Signal is a procedure that any user can access. But due to the privacy provided by the app there are certain situations in which it is impossible to restore them :
By not having the previous device
Not having the previous device with which you used Signal is a problem that we cannot solve . If you do not have the previous equipment, you have no choice but to try to receive help from the operating system companies you were using (Android or iOS).
Hopefully maybe they can solve the problem. In any case, the truth is that when you change your number in Signal, you will be automatically closing all activities with your old phone. That includes calls and messages .
By formatting the device
Another situation impossible to avoid is the formatting of the computer. This erases all the information on the device, without there being any method to recover it . That is why all manufacturers place a warning when doing so.
You changed your phone number
Finally, we have the possibility that you have changed your phone number. This becomes a problem because Signal (like Telegram ) uses it to identify you and recognize who you are .
That system is inviolable. Therefore, when you change your phone number, you cannot access the data of the previous one, since for Signal you are not the owner of that number.
What requirements must your device meet to be able to recover the Signal backup?
Assuming that you are not in any of the situations described in the previous section, you still need to meet three requirements. You have to comply with all of them, since each one is just as important as the other . Otherwise, Signal won’t be able to restore anything.
They have a stable internet connection
It is essential that you have a good internet connection. That’s because many installations occur during recovery, each requiring you to be connected.
In turn, the better the connection, the less it takes for the system to execute each of the processes . If it is too slow or unstable, it could take a long time and even stop midway through the procedure.
Possibility of receiving an SMS message
As important as the internet connection is the normal signal of the device, since Signal will send you a verification code there to be able to authorize the retrieval of the history .
If you don’t have a good signal, the code may arrive when its validity has expired. We must also emphasize that you must place it on your new mobile and also on the old one.
The updated Signal app
The last essential requirement is that you have the Signal application updated . It must be in its most recent version, since only then will you avoid any inconvenience. If you turned off automatic updates on your phone, do this:
- Open the Play Store .
- Press your profile picture.
- Choose “Manage apps and devices.”
- Go to “Available updates”.
- Search for “Signal” and click on the “Update” button, which will be on the right.
Of course, it may happen that the application does not appear in the list. If so, it means that you already have the latest available version installed .
Procedure to restore backed up Signal messages
Now that we have made all the clarifications we can proceed to explain how to restore the messages. For this case we have put together three procedures depending on the type of device in which you use Signal .
On Android
With Android the process is very simple. Of course, before doing anything else you must have the Signal app installed on your new mobile . Download and install it. Then follow these steps:
- Click on the option “Transfer or restore account” (which appears when you open the application).
- Now click on “Activate permissions” and then on “From Android device”.
- Press the “Continue” button.
- On the other phone, go to Signal and the “Settings” section.
- Click on “Account”, then on “Transfer account” and finally on “Continue”.
- Bring both phones closer to each other.
- Click “Accept” in the notification that will appear on the new phone.
- Verify that the same code appears on both mobiles and press “Continue” on both.
- Press “Continue with registration” on the new mobile and “Done” on the old one, and you are done.
With iOS
The procedure to recover message history on iOS is just as simple . First you must open the app, and proceed in this way:
- Select the option “Transfer data from iOS.”
- Click on “Next”.
- On the other phone, also click “Next”.
- Bring both phones closer together and use the second to scan the QR code that appears on the first.
- Wait for the message that the process is complete to appear.
From the Desktop
In this case there is no direct method, as Signal Desktop does not support transferring chats between devices . But there is an alternative:
- Close Signal on your old device and unlink it from Signal Desktop.
- Open the app on the new phone and link it with the computer. That’s it!
How can you reactivate the backup of your messages in Signal?
In addition to everything we already saw, you can configure Signal to make a backup from time to time . In this case the steps are:
- Click on the icon in the upper left corner of the app .
- In the menu choose “Chats”.
- Scroll down to the bottom and click on “Backups of chats”.
- Click on “Activate”, choose a folder on your mobile and press “Allow access”.
- Now click on “Allow”.
- Write down the code that appearssomewhere .
- To finish, press “I have written down this password” and “Activate”.
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