Signal offers three practical ways to preserve or move chat history: optional Secure Backups for recovery on Android or iPhone, direct phone-to-phone transfers within the same platform, and encrypted local backups on Android. The right choice depends on whether you still have your old phone, whether you are switching platforms, and whether you enabled a backup before you needed it.
Which Signal backup option should you use?
| Method | Platforms and destination | Old phone needed? | What it does | Key requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secure Backups | Android and iOS, including cross-platform restoration | No, if the archive was enabled beforehand | Restores an encrypted archive during setup | Secure Backups enabled in advance, same phone number, and 64-character recovery key |
| Direct transfer | Android to Android or iPhone to iPhone | Yes; both phones are required | Moves history to the new phone | Compatible devices, connectivity, proximity, and current Signal app requirements |
| Android on-device backup | Android restore; Signal also documents Android and Desktop backup folders restoring to Android | No, if you retained the folder and key | Restores from a locally managed encrypted backup | Full backup folder and recovery key |
| Desktop backup | Restore to a primary Android phone; iOS restoration is not supported | Not stated by Signal’s documentation | Restores a Desktop backup to Android | Restoration unlinks the existing Desktop connection; link Desktop again afterward |
For a lost phone or an Android-to-iPhone switch, Secure Backups are the documented option that supports recovery across platforms. If both phones are available and you are staying on Android or iPhone, direct transfer avoids relying on a Secure Backup archive. Android’s local backup is another option when you can safely retain its folder and key. See Signal’s Secure Backups guide, Android backup and restore guide, and transfer guides for Android and iPhone.
How Signal Secure Backups work
Secure Backups are optional. You must turn them on before you lose or replace a phone; Signal cannot create an archive retroactively. Signal says the archive is end-to-end encrypted and protected by a unique 64-character recovery key that is not shared with Signal. Its documentation is explicit: “Without your unique recovery key, no one (including Signal) can read, decrypt, or restore any of the data in your Secure Backup Archive.”
What the archive includes
- The free tier stores all text messages and the most recent 45 days of media.
- Signal lists an optional tier that stores up to 100 GB of media for $1.99 per month. The support page does not specify regional checkout or tax details.
- View-once messages and messages set to disappear within 24 hours are excluded.
Signal says disabling Secure Backups deletes the archive. Backups cannot be merged, so restoring an archive does not combine its history with messages already on the destination phone.
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Enable Secure Backups before you need them
- Open Signal and go to Settings > Backups.
- Enable Secure Backups, then record and confirm the recovery key. Keep it somewhere you can access if the phone is lost, but do not share it.
- Choose the free or paid plan. Check Signal’s live instructions for the current options and terms.
Restore an archive
Restoration is offered during the initial setup flow on Android or iOS. Use the same phone number associated with the backup and enter the recovery key when prompted. If you skipped the restore prompt, Signal’s troubleshooting guidance is to reinstall the app and restore when prompted. That is a setup-stage recovery path, not an in-app option for merging an archive into an already configured account. If Secure Backups were never enabled, there is no archive; if the key is lost, Signal cannot reset or bypass it. See Signal Secure Backups and Signal’s restore troubleshooting instructions.
Transfer chats directly when both phones are available
Direct transfer is intended for moving history between two phones on the same platform. It requires the old phone to be working and the new phone to be ready for Signal registration; it is not a substitute for a recovery archive if the old phone is gone.
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Signal’s currently surfaced instructions call for both phones to run Signal version 7.68.4 or later, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, the phones physically close, and a usable camera on the old phone. The new phone must be able to register. Signal says history is moved, not copied, to the new Android device. Because app requirements can change, check the current Android transfer instructions before beginning.
iPhone to iPhone
Signal’s currently surfaced iPhone guide specifies version 7.89 or later, local network permission, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, Low Power mode turned off, the phones physically close, and a working camera on the old iPhone. The history moves to the new iPhone and is deleted from the old device after transfer. Version requirements and steps can change; consult Signal’s current iPhone transfer guide before you start.
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Android on-device backups: a separate local method
Android on-device backups are encrypted and stored in a folder on the phone or in a folder you choose. You need to retain both the complete backup folder and the generated recovery key; having only one is not enough to restore. During registration on Android, select the restore option and provide the folder and key. Signal says these backups contain messages and media present at backup time, excluding view-once content and messages with timers of one day or less.
Signal documents Android and Desktop on-device backup folders as restorable to an Android device. This method is distinct from Secure Backups, and an Android on-device backup cannot restore to an iPhone. Follow Signal’s Android backup and restore instructions for the current folder location and setup steps.
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Signal Desktop backups have a narrower restore path
Signal documents encrypted Desktop backups for restoration to a primary Android phone, not to iOS. Restoring a Desktop backup removes the existing link between the phone and Desktop, so you will need to link Desktop again afterward. Check Signal’s Desktop backup instructions for the current procedure.
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Before changing phones: a practical checklist
- If you still have the old phone and are staying on its platform, check that direct transfer is supported and follow the latest device-specific steps.
- If you need recovery after loss, reinstall, or a cross-platform move, enable Secure Backups in advance and retain the recovery key.
- If using Android local backup, confirm you have the entire backup folder as well as its key before relying on it.
- Do not assume every message or media item is included: disappearing and view-once content is excluded from the relevant backup methods as specified above.
- Read Signal’s live support instructions immediately before a transfer or restore, because interface labels and version requirements may change.
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