How to transfer your Signal chats from one Android mobile to another, with "Transfer account"

If you change mobile, you can take Signal chats with you wherever you go thanks to the function Transfer account. With it, you can import Signal chats from one mobile to another and without going through the cloud or making a backup before.

Signal has added in the beta version of its application the possibility of importing chats from one mobile to another by direct connection via Wi-Fi Direct, as long as you have the two mobiles next to each other.

Transfer your Signal chats to another mobile

Signal is a WhatsApp alternative that has been with us for many years, but that jumped on the wave of alternatives to WhatsApp most popular in 2021 after the controversy after the new privacy policy of this app. 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.

On 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 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 Ahead. Press also 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 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. In the old mobile, old messages are kept, but Signal is disconnected, showing an advertisement that “the device is already registered”.

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How to transfer your Signal chats from one Android mobile to another, with “Transfer account”

was originally published in

Engadget Android

for
Ivan Ramirez

.