Signal Rolls Out Some Popular WhatsApp Features On Its Own App, Check Details Here

By Sunita Last updated Jan 30, 2021 0

New Delhi: After Telegram, the secure messaging app Signal has now added mainstream chat features like WhatsApp to lure more users onto its platform, as the debate rages on the upcoming data privacy policy by the Facebook-owned platform.

The new features are being rolled out for both iOS (5.3.1) and Android (5.3.7) devices, which will offer chat wallpapers, animated stickers, and an “About” section in your profile.

Signal shared the news on twitter and tweeted, “Chat wallpapers have arrived! Customize wallpapers for each of your chats or just set a default background for everyone if your patience is wallpaper thin. Now available in Signal 5.3 for Android and iOS.”

Here is the tweet:

Chat wallpapers have arrived! Customize wallpapers for each of your chats or just set a default background for everyone if your patience is wallpaper thin. Now available in Signal 5.3 for Android and iOS. pic.twitter.com/IxAxQUCm9n

— Signal (@signalapp) January 28, 2021

The customized wallpaper option will allow users to set different wallpapers for different chats which will help them to differentiating between the chats and let them have a fun experience. To change the wallpaper of chats you can go to the settings menu on Signal app and set different wallpaper for different contacts.

Likewise, users can now use the animated stickers in their chats. The users can create their own customized animated sticker packs or they can choose from the wide range of options given to them.

The beta update had 24 animated stickers.

launching the animated sticker packs, the Signal app tweeted, “Support for animated stickers is rolling out now with the first official animated Signal sticker pack by Miguel Ángel Camprubí. Find out how to make your own stickers in Signal Desktop, or download the new pack here:”

Support for animated stickers is rolling out now with the first official animated Signal sticker pack, “Day by Day” by Miguel Ángel Camprubí. Find out how to make your own stickers in Signal Desktop, or download the new pack here:https://t.co/PeXnacYn0R https://t.co/TDc81EnPXv pic.twitter.com/vFLHCsUBor

— Signal (@signalapp) January 27, 2021

The new About feature of Signal app let users tell their friends about what’s going on or share something new about themselves in their Signal Profile. The new feature is available in the Signal 5.3 version for both android and iPhone users.

The new Signal features were first spotted by Android Police.

iPhone users will also see a new setting to lower data usage during calls, an option to automatically pause attachment downloads during calls, and improved image compression among other enhancements.

Encrypted messaging app Telegram has also added a functionality to import your WhatsApp chat history on iOS platform, as it sees a surge in new users.

On iOS devices, the feature has arrived with version 7.4.1. The update has not appeared on Android devices yet. The WhatsApp chat import process works for both individual and group conversations.

Telegram has seen a significant uptake in new users as WhatsApp’s new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy trigged a fresh data sharing debate. It has crossed 525 million users.

Signal, however, does not disclose user numbers but third-party data from Sensor Tower revealed that from January 6 to January 10, Signal saw approximately 7.5 million installs globally — a massive 4,200 per cent increase from the previous week.