As we concluded in our comparison between WhatsApp vs Signal vs Telegram, Signal is a highly secure messaging service that offers a number of security features to guard your privacy. So in this article, we explain one of the best features of Signal and that is Registration Lock. It’s basically the two-factor authentication feature that requires you to enter an additional PIN while registering Signal on a new device. So if you want to further enhance your security and want to enable two-factor authentication on Signal then follow the steps below.
Before we get to our tutorial, here are some notable points to keep in mind:
- In case, you forget your PIN and have no access to your old device then you will have to wait 7 days for the Registration Lock to expire. Only after that, you will be able to log in to Signal and create a new PIN. So to be on the safe side, write down the PIN and store it in a safe place.
- Currently, Signal does not support Authenticator apps or offer any backup codes. You need to memorize the PIN which will act as your 2FA key.
- PIN is not your screen lock or chat/backup restoration key for Signal. It’s used for Registration Lock and preserving your profile settings.
- Setting up 2FA on Signal will protect you in case someone manages to swap your SIM. Princeton University did an extensive study and found that US carriers granted SIM swap requests even when the caller could answer only one authentication question. So you should ensure 2FA is turned on to prevent any hijack attempts.
Set up Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on Signal
- First of all, tap on your profile icon at the top-left corner and open “Privacy“.
