Signal Login Lets Android Beta Users Register Without a Phone Number

One of messaging’s longest privacy requests is entering beta. Coverage dated September 16, 2026 from AboutSignal confirms Signal Login is rolling out on Signal Android Beta 8.28.1: optional registration without providing a phone number, with iOS planned later and a path to broader Android after testing.

How it works

Phone-number signup remains free and primary. Signal Login is optional and currently for new accounts only—you cannot strip a number from an existing account yet. At the phone-number screen, choose Register without number, then purchase Signal Login (or restore an existing Login). Launch pricing: $2.99 / €3.49 (EUR includes VAT) one-time via Play Store in-app billing. Play Services are required for payment at launch; Signal says more payment methods are planned. Payment uses the same zero-knowledge proofs as Signal donations so the purchase is not directly linkable to your account.

Account ID, Recovery key, username

After purchase you receive an Account ID and Recovery key (the same recovery material used for on-device backups and Signal Secure Backups). Signal urges storing both in a trusted password manager or as a PDF. Lose either and the account is gone—no support backdoor. You may add an optional username; without one you are hard to reach except via chats you start or group links you join. Usernames can be added or changed later.

PIN vs Recovery key and 2FA

Signal Login accounts do not use the traditional Signal PIN; the Recovery key replaces it. After registration, Settings → Account can enable TOTP-based two-factor authentication (authenticator apps). Passkeys and hardware keys are promised later. Losing all 2FA methods plus recovery material permanently locks you out—Signal recommends multiple authenticators if you enable 2FA.

Why charge at all?

Signal frames the fee as an abuse/spam barrier for numberless accounts, with developers noting the price could rise if Login becomes a spam vector. Proceeds support the nonprofit mission; this is explicitly not a subscription messenger. Desktop still lacks standalone registration, but an Android Login account can link Desktop as today.

Rocks take

Meaningful for journalists, activists, and anyone who refuses SMS identity—tempered by beta status, Play-only payments, and the brutal recovery model. Read the full walkthrough at AboutSignal.

FAQ

Is Signal becoming paid? No—phone registration stays free; Login is optional.

iOS? Later; Android beta first.