Signal has introduced a long-awaited secure backup feature that preserves your messages and media with full end-to-end encryption and no compromises on privacy.
Quick Summary – TLDR:
- Signal now lets users back up chats and media in an encrypted cloud format
- Free tier includes full message history and 45 days of media
- Paid tier for $1.99/month unlocks unlimited media backup
- Backups are protected by a 64-character recovery key known only to the user
What Happened?
Signal has finally rolled out cloud backups in its Android beta app, a feature that has been highly requested by users for years. The backup system offers both free and paid tiers and keeps Signal’s privacy-first philosophy at the core.
This is also the first time Signal has introduced a paid subscription model, designed to support the cost of media storage without compromising user privacy or introducing ads.
Until now, if you lost or broke your phone, your Signal message history was *gone,* a real challenge for everyone whose most important conversations happen in Signal. So, with careful design and development, we’re rolling out opt-in secure backups. https://t.co/dcSnXEWXXg…
— Signal (@signalapp) September 8, 2025
Secure Backups Now on Signal
After years of resisting server-side storage to avoid metadata exposure, Signal has found a solution that meets the demand for backups while staying true to its mission. The new Secure Cloud Backups feature uses a zero-knowledge architecture, which ensures that Signal cannot access, view, or recover any part of a user’s backup.
Each backup is encrypted using a 64-character recovery key that is generated locally on the user’s device. This key is not stored on Signal’s servers and cannot be recovered if lost. Users are urged to write it down or store it in a secure password manager.
Free and Paid Tiers Explained
Signal offers two backup options:
- Free Tier: Includes your complete text message history and the last 45 days of media files (photos, videos, etc.). Messages are compressed to optimize the 100MiB free storage.
- Paid Tier ($1.99/month): Provides unlimited media retention beyond the 45-day window, making it ideal for users who want long-term access to photos and videos.
The subscription model is Signal’s first revenue-generating feature, introduced to offset storage costs without resorting to ads or selling user data. As a nonprofit, Signal emphasized that this approach helps it remain independent and privacy-focused.
How the Backups Work?
Backups are opt-in and refreshed daily, automatically replacing the previous day’s archive. The system also respects Signal’s ephemeral messaging:
- View-once messages and any content set to disappear within 24 hours are excluded from the backup.
- Messages set to disappear over a longer period are included unless deleted before the backup is created.
Importantly, backups are not tied to a Signal account or payment metadata, ensuring users remain anonymous even when using the paid service.
Platform Availability and What’s Next
Currently, the feature is available only in the Android beta version, but a wider release is expected soon. Future updates will expand access to iOS and desktop platforms, enabling seamless cross-device backup and restore capabilities.
Signal is also working on letting users choose where to store their encrypted backups, giving even more control over data portability.
SQ Magazine Takeaway
I’ve always appreciated Signal’s unwavering stance on privacy, but the lack of backups made it hard to recommend for everyday use. Now that they’ve nailed a zero-compromise backup system, it finally feels like a complete messaging solution. I love that they’ve added a paid option without sacrificing privacy, and at $1.99, it’s a fair price for those who need more. If you care about security and don’t want big tech in your business, this update makes Signal a real contender again.
