Signal is testing phone number-free registration on Android
Signal is testing a new signup option on Android that lets users register without a phone number, with a one-time payment added as an anti-spam measure.
Signal is testing a new way to create an account without using a phone number. The option is currently available in the Android beta, where users can choose to register through an alternative signup flow instead of tying their account to a traditional phone number.
The change appears in Signal for Android version 8.28.0, which is currently available as a pre-release build. According to Signal’s release notes, registration without a phone number is optional, meaning the existing phone number-based signup method isn’t going anywhere.
Signal is also introducing a small one-time payment for people who choose the new registration method. The company says the payment is designed as an anti-spam measure, presumably making it harder to create large numbers of disposable accounts. Signal also says the purchase itself isn’t directly associated with the resulting Signal account.
The exact price isn’t listed in the public release notes, though, so it may depend on how the beta implementation is being tested. Signal also hasn’t publicly detailed how account recovery works for users who register without a phone number.
That part is especially important, since phone numbers have traditionally played a central role in Signal registration and account setup. Until Signal provides more documentation, it’s probably best to treat this as an early test rather than a replacement for the existing signup system.
For now, the feature is limited to Signal’s Android beta and hasn’t been announced as part of the stable release. There’s also no confirmation yet on when, or if, the same registration option will arrive on iOS.