14 DAY TRIAL // With the NSA and other governmental agencies spying on everyone with or without a warrant, many users are trying to get secure ways to communicate with others. Signal is one of the newest apps to promise no backdoors and fully secure calls.
Signal is described as a Private Messenger and is developed by the Open Whisper Systems. They say that the new app, which fits the "Social Networking" category, is dedicated to users who like privacy, because it enables secure calls for free.
Signal provides end-to-end encryption to the phone calls you place or receive so nobody can listen in. The app uses your normal phone number to make and receive calls, so the user doesn't need a different identifier.
The developers say that the extra layer of security is provided end-to-end so it looks like you are calling from your phone just like you are used to. The app is free and there are no in-app purchases. All the code is open source. That means that anyone can verify the app's security just by checking the code or ask an expert to verify it.
Signal uses Wi-Fi or 3G/4G data, so you do not need a monthly subscription or pre-paid plan for voice minutes.
As soon as you install the app, Signal asks you to enable access to the microphone, contacts, and push notifications. You can proceed to choose the country code and enter your phone number. The app interface is pretty basic and it is mostly designed in black and white. There are five menus on the bottom of the screen: Call Log, Favorites, Inbox, Contacts, and the dialer. You will only be able to call securely using Signal the contacts in your Address Book that have the same app installed on their iPhone or Android device.
The developer of the app says they wanted to create something reliable when the user wants to place a phone call or send a private text message. They have worked for over a year to move over to the iPhone the app that was originally created for Android devices. You can also check RedPhone for Android, the app compatible with this one.
The developers pride themselves in creating an app that doesn't need a password or any other complicated systems to preserve your privacy. When someone calls you, you will see the contact information like you would on your regular "Phone" app from iOS. However, Signal is using ZRPT, a well-tested protocol for secure voice communication.
There's no need to keep the app open all day. You will know when someone calls you via push notifications, just like Skype does.
The developers are looking into a future where unified private voice and text communication for iPhone, Android, and the browser is a reality. The same app will provide text messaging capabilities to its iPhone users and a browser extension is in the works.