Signal beta v5.50 adds migration tool to seamlessly move your chats to a new device

Damien Wilde | Mar 15 2021 - 3:34 am PT

The latest Signal beta v5.50 for Android is making the entire procedure of transferring your chats and messages from one device to another far less arduous with a dedicated migration tool.

At the moment, it’s a bit of a long-winded process to take all of your messages and chats from Signal on one Android device to another. According to TestingCatalog (h/t XDA), the latest Signal beta for Android v5.50 has added a migration tool that helps you transfer over all of your existing data to another device over a private local Wi-Fi Direct connection.

WHAT’S NEW
★ Your next upgrade deserves an upgrade. Quickly and securely transfer your Signal information to a brand-new Android phone. Use the end-to-end encrypted migration feature to move your account and messages from an old device to a new device over a private local WiFi Direct connection.

This is great for the privacy conscious, as it is far more secure than the transfer features already offered by rivals such as WhatsApp and Telegram. As more and more people are migrating away from cross-platform messaging apps such as WhatsApp to alternatives including Signal and Telegram, a dedicated migration tool will definitely be a welcome one.

Should this migration tool come to a stable build of Signal, it should mean that changing devices becomes far easier, as you can connect over Wi-Fi and send an encrypted backup to your new hardware. The option is found within a new “Transfer account” section that will open up a new pop-up window with explicit instructions to “Download Signal on your new Android device.” You can then just open and tap “Transfer or restore account” while keeping devices in close proximity to ensure that everything is transferred properly.

We’re not sure if this option will come to the iOS app, allowing you to switch between Apple’s OS and Google’s Android, but it’s a step in the right direction. For those that didn’t already know, you can do this manually already within Signal, but it’s a three-step process that requires you to transfer files manually rather than allowing it to be transferred over Wi-Fi automatically.

Signal Beta v5.50 complete with the in-built migration tool should now be rolling out via the Google Play Store. You’ll need to enroll on the official beta path here first before attempting to download.