November 8, 2023 at 05:29PM
Signal is testing public usernames that allow users to hide their phone numbers when communicating with others. Users can access this feature by installing a new build and registering for a separate account. Signal encourages users to test functionalities such as creating usernames, adjusting privacy settings, and inviting others to groups. Signal is cautioning that these testing builds may have bugs and users should not become attached to the data. Signal President Meredith Whittaker mentioned the development of usernames a year ago, offering users the option to communicate without sharing their phone numbers.
During the meeting, it was discussed that Signal is currently testing public usernames as a new feature. This feature allows users to conceal the phone numbers linked to their accounts while communicating with others. The testing is being done in a staging environment separate from the stable Signal encrypted messaging service.
In the staging environment, users will need to install and run a new build and register for a new account with a phone number (which can be the same as the one used in the production version). It’s important to note that the staging environment does not have uptime guarantees and push notifications may not work as expected.
To access the new username feature, users can navigate to Settings > Profile and Settings > Privacy > Phone Number. Once set up, usernames are paired with a set of digits and are not shared on the user’s profile. Each username has a unique QR code and link that can be shared with friends to start a chat.
Signal encourages users to test various functionalities, such as creating usernames, sharing username links, adjusting sharing settings for phone numbers, and inviting individuals to groups using both usernames and phone numbers.
To start testing the new username features, users can install pre-beta build versions, which are likely to be updated daily. Desktop installers for macOS and Windows are available on Signal’s community website. Android users can enroll through Firebase to get the staging builds, while Linux users need to add the Desktop Alpha apt repo and build the `signal-desktop-staging` build. iOS users can build their own Signal-Staging iOS app using the latest Signal-iOS source code.
It’s important to note that the staging builds are early pre-release versions, and users should not get attached to any data on these builds. There may be bugs, and users may need to reinstall the app to get back to a stable state.
Signal has been working on usernames for about a year, with the goal of allowing users to communicate with each other without sharing their phone numbers. While a phone number is still required for registration, users can choose not to share it with anyone.