How to transfer chats from one Android mobile to another

We are aware of what this entails, which is to use a service that is in a very secondary plane with respect to WhatsApp and Telegram. However, this utility makes it very interesting to start using it or to use it for that moment of change.

What is Signal?

Its creation is curious because, although it dates from 2015, its origins go back five years before, and although has always offered advantages over its competitors, especially in terms of privacy and security, has never become a mass service in the style of WhatsApp and company. It was created by Matthew Rosenfeld, also known by his pseudonym Moxie Marlinspike and a computer security specialist or hacker.

The app has been a pioneer in some areas such as the aforementioned privacy and security. Without going further, your encryption system, designed years before the app by its own creators, has been used by WhatsApp itself. One of the most striking features of Signal is that it is an open source app. Its approach to the security of personal data and the privacy of conversations, has led many experts in the field to recommend the use of Signal to the detriment of WhatsApp.

Signal adds some extra options compared to its competitors, such as being able to activate confidential sender for send messages to strangers without sharing your profile. You can also lock your registration so that only you can reuse your number to log into another device, asking you for an extra identifier. Thus, no one can take a mobile with your SIM and log in with your account on another mobile, since another preset PIN is needed.

How to send your chats from one mobile to another

While in WhatsApp it is possible to transfer an account from one mobile to another by backing up to Google Drive, in Signal you can do the same with a direct connection, from mobile to mobile.

First, we must have the two terminals in question in front of us. We have to take care of one first and then take care of the other and continue with the process. First, we have to make the backup from the mobile that we are going to stop using to then go to the recently obtained Android. Therefore, we are going to separate the process into two small sections:

From the old mobile

To transfer the Signal account from a mobile you must have both mobiles at hand, as it will connect to each other through a secure connection under Wi-Fi Direct and, in addition, you need to make adjustments and verify a code in real time.

The process begins on the old mobile, in which you already have the Signal account configured. In Signal, you must enter the settings and enter the Chats section. Then go to Transfer account or Transfer account, as this part of the app has not yet been translated.

The rest of the process is summarized in the window that is shown, and you have little else to do on this mobile other than pressing Go ahead. However, it is better if you wait to have the other mobile ready before pressing the button.

On the new mobile

The process continues on the new mobile, the one to which you want to take your Signal account and all its chats. You need to install Signal and not set up any accounts yet. Instead, on the welcome screen, tap Transfer account or Transfer account. In the options displayed, choose Transfer from an Android device, or Transfer from Android device.

This will show the same window that you have on the original mobile, in which you must press Go ahead. Press also Go ahead on the old cell phone and wait a while until they both find each other. You will then see that an invitation to connect is displayed, which you must accept. To verify that you are importing the correct mobile account, a verification code is displayed on both mobiles. The code must be identical in both cases. If so, press Go ahead.

It will then begin to transfer the account and messages from one mobile to another, in a process that will take more or less, depending on how many messages we are talking about. The application recommends that you keep both mobiles close and with Signal open, without letting the screen turn off.

By the end, you will have to configure your account on the new mobile, the same as always, using the verification code and your phone number. On the old mobile, old messages are kept, but Signal is disconnected, showing an advertisement that “the device is no longer registered.”

How do you restore from a backup file?

There is an alternative when it comes to restoring conversations to a new terminal, or a factory restored one. This has to do with the backup of the platform, a method that we already find in WhatsApp, so it is more traditional.

1. On the old phone activate a backup within Signal on the phone that has your Signal message history.
2. Save the key or passphrase with 30 digits.
3. Manually move the folder from Signal which contains the backup file.
   • Same phone? Manually move the backup file to another storage before leaving this phone with factory settings.
   • New phone? Move the recovery file from your old phone to your new one.
4. On the new phone, install Signal, select transfer or restore account, select restore from backup, and enter your 30-digit passphrase to restore before entering your phone number in the registration process.
   • Have you forgotten the password?
   • Backup file not detected?