Signal launches secure backups with encrypted message & media history on iOS

Signal's encrypted message backup feature, previously launched for Android, is now available to iOS users. This cross-platform rollout resolves one of the most requested issues: until now, losing or breaking a phone permanently deleted all Signal conversations. With the new system, encrypted backups are generated daily, including all text messages and the last 45 days of media files.

Signal sets a free storage tier at 100 MB for messages and recent media. For those needing greater capacity, a $1.99 monthly subscription increases available storage up to 100 GB. This paid option marks the company's first step into monetizing its service to cover the costs of managing large media files, while still maintaining its no-ads and no-data-mining approach.

On the security front, backups employ zero-knowledge encryption and require a unique 64-character recovery key generated directly on the user's device. This key is never stored or transmitted to Signal's servers. Media files in backups benefit from double encryption and padding to minimize metadata exposure, and by policy, disappearing and view-once messages are not included in backups.