Although WhatsApp and Telegram are the most well-known, there are many mobile instant messaging apps that allow you to send and receive messages between friends, family, or colleagues. Signal is a free messaging and call exchange application, the hallmark of which is end-to-end encryption of conversations. This way, what you talk about with your contacts stays between you.

And, as is usually the case with any messaging tool, the first thing to do is create a contact list. Adding contacts to Signal is necessary so that you actually have someone to communicate with. This process is performed manually, as each user registers with Signal voluntarily. Privacy comes first. Yes, indeed. You can send invitations to your contacts on other networks and wait for them to respond. Or find your friends in Signal to start a conversation.

How to invite friends to join Signal

When you install Signal and create an account, the app will ask you if you want to import the contacts saved on your phone. If you have contacts that are already part of Signal, they will appear there. But it's not always possible to find friends and acquaintances in Signal. If you don't have them, you can invite them to join this app. When your contacts register with Signal, they will appear in your contact list.

1. Open Signal.
2. Click the "New Message" button.
3. Now click "Invite to Signal".
4. A standard message and a link for installing Signal will appear.
5. Click on "Share".
6. Select the app that you have installed to share this message with your contacts.
7. When your contacts install Signal and create their account, you will know about it.
8. If you have enabled the ability to import contacts.

How to add a new contact to Signal

In previous versions of Signal, you could add a new contact without inviting them. You just had to provide a name and a phone number. In the latter, including the country code. But in recent updates to Signal, this option is no longer available. Thus, the ability to add new contacts manually has been replaced by searching for contacts by alias or phone number. It is more convenient, less invasive and gives the same results.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Open Signal.
2. Click the "New Message" button.
3. Click on "New Contact".
4. Enter your name or alias and phone number.
5. Don't forget the country code.
6. Signal will search for this number and/or name in its database.
7. If a contact is available, it will appear among your contacts.
8. If it is not available, you can send an invitation.

How to find out if a friend has a Signal

In addition to invitations, you can search for your friends in Signal using the built-in search engine. You can perform two types of search. Either by the pseudonym or by the name of this person. Or by directly specifying the phone number. Both options work the same way. Try both options until you find your contacts.

1. Open Signal.
2. Click the "New Message" button.
3. Click on "Alias Search".
4. Enter your contact's alias in Signal.

An alias is a name followed by a period and several numbers. You can set your own nickname by going to "Chats", logging into your profile and clicking on your name. Then enter Alias and you will be able to enter your alias.

1. Open Signal.
2. Click the "New Message" button.
3. Click "Search by phone number".
4. Enter the number. Don't forget the country code.
5. Click the "Next" button to start the search.

How to activate notification of new contacts in Signal

You can check for yourself if you have any new contacts in Signal. We have already told you how to do this. But it's more practical if Signal warns you automatically. Via notification. This way, you'll be one of the first to know that someone has created a Signal account, and you'll be able to start a conversation with your contact, friend, or acquaintance.

1. Open Signal.
2. Click on your profile icon. Top left.
3. Go to "Notifications".
4. Scroll down to "Let me know when..."
5. Activate the "Someone is starting to use Signal" option.