End-to-end encrypted (E2EE) messaging app Signal said it is testing a new feature that lets users create unique usernames (not to be confused with profile names) and keep phone numbers away from prying eyes.
“If you use Signal, your phone number will no longer be visible to everyone you chat with by default,” said Signal’s Randall Sarafa. “People who have your number saved in their phone contacts will still see your phone number because they already know it.”
Setting up a new username requires account holders to provide two or more numbers at the end of the account (for example, axolotl.99) in an effort to keep them “egalitarian and minimize spoofing.” Usernames can be changed any number of times, but it’s worth noting that they are not logins or handles.
In other words, a username is an anonymous way to start conversations on the chat platform without having to share phone numbers. The feature is opt-in, though Signal said it is also taking steps to hide users’ phone numbers by default from others who don’t have them saved in their phone’s contacts.
Additionally, users can control who can find them by their number using another setting, preventing people from texting them even if they have the phone numbers.
Both of these options can be activated via the following steps:
- Settings > Privacy > Phone number > Who can see my number > Everyone/No one
- Settings > Privacy > Phone number > Who can find me by number > Everyone/No one
“Your phone number will no longer be visible to people you chat with on Signal, unless they have it in their phone contacts,” Sarafa said. “You will also be able to set a new privacy setting to limit who can find you by your phone number on Signal.”