If you’ve been using Signal for a while now, you might be wondering where your pictures are stored? You probably know that Signal is a heavily encrypted app, so your images are in a safe place.
Read this article to find out exactly where pictures are stored, how to save a picture, and much more.
Where Are Pictures Stored in Signal?
Whether you’re new to Signal or not, it might be tricky to access the pictures you shared in the app. Maybe you need to do a phone reset and want to copy the pictures before they’re erased. If so, you should know that all pictures are stored locally on your device. However, in order to access that folder, you’ll have to enable backups first. You’ll find instructions on how to enable backups in the “Are Signal Messages Recoverable” section below.
For now, we’re going to tell you how to find pictures from your Signal chat.
For Android Devices:
- Launch Signal on your Android device.
- Find and open the chat you want to access pictures from.
- Tap on the name of the contact – this will open the settings.
- Tap on the “See all” option.
- If you’re looking for pictures, choose “Media.”
- You can either select the picture or swipe across to find the one you need.
For iPhone:
- Launch Signal on your iPhone.
- Find and open the chat containing the pictures you want to access.
- Tap on your contact’s name to open the chat settings.
- Select the “All media” option.
- You’ll now have access to the pictures you shared in this chat.
Where Are Messages Stored in Signal?
Just like pictures, Signal messages are stored locally on your mobile device. Signal is pretty strict when it comes to user security. All messages that you send only appear on their servers in transit. Your messages, images, and all other files you share will be available in the backup folder.
As mentioned above, you’ll have to enable backups beforehand. If you don’t have backups enabled on your device yet, you can follow the steps we provided in the “Are Signal Messages Recoverable” section below.
Additional FAQs
Here are some additional questions that will help you get the most out of Signal.
How Do I Save a Picture in Signal?
If you open your phone gallery looking for pictures you shared, you’ll see that Signal pictures don’t appear there. Due to security reasons, the app doesn’t automatically download the media you share. However, there’s an easy way to download a picture to your phone. Just follow these straightforward instructions:
Save a Picture on an Android Device
• Open Signal on your Android device.
• Find and open the chat you want to save a picture from.
• Tap on the name of the contact to open chat settings.
• Go to the “Shared Media” section and tap on “See all.”
• To download pictures, select the “Media” tab.
• You’ll see all the media files you shared in that chat. Just find the ones you want to download.
• Once you’ve found the picture, tap on the “Save” button.
• Signal will ask you to confirm the action since you’ll be saving it outside of the app. Just confirm to complete the action.
You can also access and save all pictures you shared from all chats by following these steps:
• Open Signal and tap on your profile picture (avatar.)
• Go to “Data and Storage” and tap on Manage > Review storage.
• Select the “Media” option to access all pictures.
• Tap and then hold the attachment.
• Click on the “Save” button and confirm “Yes” to download the pictures.
Save a Picture on an iPhone
• Open the Signal app on your iPhone.
• Find and enter the chat containing the picture you wish to save.
• Tap on the contact’s name to open chat settings.
• Select the “All media” option that will show all files you shared.
• Just find the picture you want to save and click on the sharing icon.
• Tap on the “Save image” option – this will save the picture to your iPhone gallery.
Another way to download a picture on iPhone is to simply hold the media message you wish to save, click on the share icon, and tap on “Save items.”
Does Signal Compress Images?
Even though there’s no official confirmation on Signal’s website, the app does compress images. You can verify this by uploading a picture from your gallery to a Signal chat and then save it back to your phone. You’ll notice that the saved version is much smaller than the original.
Are Signal Messages Recoverable?
Yes, Signal messages are recoverable. To recover your messages, you’ll have to enable a backup first. Here’s everything you need to know in order to make this work:
• Open the Signal app on your phone and go to the Settings page.
• From there, navigate to “Chats and media” and then go to “Chat backups.”
• Turn on chat backups.
• You’ll receive a 30-digit code you need to copy (left side to the right) to your clipboard or another safe place. You’ll need this code to access your backup folder later on.
• Select the “Enable backups” option to finish.
Signal will display the location of your backup folder. There will be a year, month, date, and time of the backup in the folder’s name.
Now that you have enabled a backup, you have to find that folder and manually move it to a new phone or a computer. After that, install Signal again and enter the 30-digit code to recover your messages.
If you’re an iPhone user, you should know that you can’t store messages outside of your current Signal device. You can’t use iCloud or any other service to backup your files. What you can do is locally transfer your messages from one phone to another:
• Install Signal on a new iPhone or iPad and register with the same number you used on a previous device.
• Choose the “Transfer from iOS Device” option and tap “Next” to show a QR code.
• Use your old phone now: Tap “Next” and scan the QR code.
• Send a new text message from your new phone once the transfer is completed.
Note that the transfer will remove all messages from your old iPhone.
Where Are Signal Messages Stored on Android?
Signal messages on Android are stored locally on your device. To access that folder, you’ll have to enable backups first. Just follow the steps we explained above.
Knowing the Ins and Outs of Signal
Now you know there’s a special encrypted folder on your device with all your Signal data locked in, and have also learned how to recover your messages.
If you’re concerned about the data you share online, you’ll want to know where exactly it’s stored. With Signal, you’re in safe hands. There’s no need to worry about the app storing your pictures and messages on their servers and selling them to third-party apps.
When was the last time you had to recover your Signal messages? Do you save Signal pictures to your phone gallery? Let us know in the comments section below.
FAQs
Open Signal and tap on your profile picture (avatar.) Go to “Data and Storage” and tap on Manage > Review storage. Select the “Media” option to access all pictures.
Where does Signal store data? ›
Signal messages, pictures, files, and other contents are stored locally on your device. These contents are readable by the open source Signal clients. Because everything in Signal is end-to-end encrypted, the Signal service does not have access to any of this data.
Does Signal store photos on cloud? ›
Signal messages, pictures, files, and other contents are stored locally on your device. If you have your old device, select the platform to transfer messages: Android.
How do I manage photos in Signal? ›
Android
- In Signal, tap your profile. > Data and Storage > Manage storage > Review storage.
- Select Media, Files, Audio, or All.
- Tap and hold on an attachment.
- Optional: Tap to select any other chats.
- To save: Tap. Save and select Yes to save outside of Signal.
- To delete: Tap. Delete and select Delete to confirm.
Signal offers end-to-end encryption, meaning that no one except your conversational partner can read the messages — not even the service provider.
Where are my photos in messages? ›
How to search for photos and videos on iPhone and Android
- Open Messages.
- Tap on a conversation, then tap on the contact/group name or profile photo.
- Scroll down to the Photos section and tap See All to see your shared photos and videos.
By default, Signal for Android stores files and media inside this sandbox rather than writing it to the public camera roll or other shared storage locations.
Does Signal have unlimited storage? ›
There is no cloud storage like on Telegram. Data storage: Signal is considered a very secure messenger that complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Messages and files are automatically deleted after a certain time. One drawback: Signal reads the contacts stored on your smartphone.
Does Signal take up storage? ›
After 6 months of use, Signal takes 1 GB of space on internal memory.
Who can see my photo on Signal? ›
any contacts you have saved in your address book, any people or groups in conversations you create, any people or groups you explicitly accept, and any groups you are added to by someone that you had previously shared your profile with.
Signal is designed to never collect or store any sensitive information. Signal messages and calls cannot be accessed by us or other third parties because they are always end-to-end encrypted, private, and secure.
How do I save photos automatically from Signal? ›
Tap and hold on the media message. Select Save Items.
...
To view attachments for a chat:
- Open a chat.
- Tap the contact name to view chat settings.
- Select All Media.
- Select an image, gif, or video – or swipe to navigate to one.
- Choose the share icon. .
- Select Save Image or Save Video.
If you want to select multiple images, tap the selection icon, which looks like a bulleted list, and then select all the messages you want to delete. 4. Tap the Delete icon — it looks like a trashcan. 5.
What is the size limit for photos on Signal? ›
All of Signal's file sharing size limits
| Type of file | iPhone and iPad | Android |
|---|
| Images | 8 MB (megabytes) | 100 MB* |
| GIFs | 25 MB | 25 MB |
| Videos | 95 MB† | 500 MB* |
| Everything else | 95 MB† | 100 MB |
May 26, 2022
2.) Signal
| Pros | Cons |
|---|
| Fully open source. | Not widely used or known. |
| Extremely familiar, intuitive interface. | Requires your phone number for contact discovery. |
| Allows audio chat, with verification. | Anyone intent on tracking your internet use can see you're using Signal. However, they won't be able to read your messages. |
3 more rowsOct 30, 2018
A recently discovered FBI training document shows that US law enforcement can gain limited access to the content of encrypted messages from secure messaging services like iMessage, Line, and WhatsApp, but not to messages sent via Signal, Telegram, Threema, Viber, WeChat, or Wickr.
Why is Signal app not safe? ›
Is Signal safe to use? Yes. Signal's open-source nature, end-to-end encryption, and commitment to never collecting user data make it one of the safest messaging apps around. Of course, some situations may compromise this security, such as when an attacker physically gets a hold of your device.
Where do deleted pictures and messages go? ›
If you delete a photo or video that's backed up in Google Photos, it will stay in your trash for 60 days. If you delete an item from your Android 11 and up device without it being backed up, it will stay in your trash for 30 days.
Why do photos disappear from my phone messages? ›
Pictures disappearing from text messages may happen because iPhone Messages keep indexing but attachments do not show up. And, some users reported that some of their messages were missing because iPhone storage is full.
Can things on Signal be deleted? ›
Open the chat. Hover to the inside of the message bubble for a message you have sent within the past 3 hours. Select Delete for everyone. Choose Delete to confirm.
Signal users can set messages to disappear after any length of time between one second to four weeks – the timer starts after a message is read. You can also adjust the time or turn the feature off if you change your mind.
What is the file limit for Signal? ›
For example, Signal allows for videos up to 100 MB.
How does Signal make money? ›
Signal does not make any revenue, as a non-profit it receives donations from users and benefactors.
Is Signal safer than WhatsApp? ›
Verdict. Overall, if security and privacy are your biggest concern, Signal is by far the more secure service. While both services do use end-to-end encryption, Signal takes extra steps to ensure that the metadata information of its users is kept private and does not go out of its way to collect extra data on its users.
What happens if your data storage is full? ›
When your phone storage is full, it basically means your device is clogged with large files — videos, photos, apps and the like. The culprit could also be memory-hogging junk files… yes, on your smartphone.
What uses up most storage on phone? ›
On an Android Phone, Go to Settings > Storage
There, you'll see exactly how much space you're using and how much is being devoted to categories such as apps, images, and videos. Tapping on one of those categories provides more detail, such as which apps are using the most space.
Does Signal have backup? ›
But the good news is that Signal offers encrypted backups only for users of Android. Naturally, these are stored locally and never elsewhere. To restore backed up Signal files on Android, just follow these steps: First up, open the Signal app on your Android device.
Should I use my real name on Signal? ›
Signal requires only a first name, and it doesn't need to be your real name. It can be a nickname or even an emoji. A last name and a photo or other avatar are optional.
Can someone access your Signal account? ›
No. Signal is designed to keep your data in your hands rather than ours. Signal does not have access to your message history, contact list, profile information, whom you've blocked, and other personal data.
Can anyone find you on Signal? ›
People who already know your number and already have you in their contacts see that they can contact you on Signal.
The FBI document goes over nine popular messaging apps: iMessage, Line, Signal, Telegram, Threema, Viber, WeChat, WhatsApp, and Wickr. How the FBI can use your data varies across each app.
Is Signal a sketchy app? ›
Signal is a secure, free, and open source messaging application that uses end-to-end encryption to securely send and receive all kinds of communications with other Signal users. Using the Internet for all encrypted communication, Signal comes highly recommended by some of the top privacy and security advocates.
Does Signal show deleted messages? ›
Can a user see an unsent message in Signal? In short, the answer is yes. But it's not always the case. Even after a message has been deleted by the sender, the recipient of the message will still be able to see that a message was deleted after having been sent to them.
Does Signal strip location data from photos? ›
Does Signal removes or strips off photo's EXIF metadata? Yes, it does removes EXIF metadata from photos that we sent them over to other Signal users.
What quality are Signal photos? ›
Signal. To adjust the image sharing quality settings in Signal, tap the three dots (top right) and then Settings, Data and storage, and Sent media quality. You'll have to choose between Standard or High.
Is Signal safer than Telegram? ›
The critical difference is that Signal protects all messages using encryption, while Telegram only protects messages that use a special “secret chat” option. Signal stores the messages on the sender and recipient devices.
What format are Signal photos? ›
An image with a resolution of 6944 x 9248 pixels, weighing 11.6MB, reaches the recipient with a resolution of 3075 x 4096 pixels and a file size of 1.4MB. When sent with the Standard setting, the same image is reduced to a resolution of 1201 x 1600 pixels and a file size of 204KB.
Is there any chance to recover permanently deleted photos? ›
You can recover pictures that have been permanently deleted from your Android gallery using data recovery software with support for Android devices, such as Disk Drill for macOS (the Windows version can recover data from Android memory cards): Install Disk Drill on a Mac. Launch Disk Drill and choose Android Devices.
Can forensics recover Signal messages? ›
Digital forensics of an unencrypted device could likely recover your signal conversations, but that would be more of a flaw in your device and OPSEC rather than it being Signal's fault. One easy way to mitigate this is by enabling ephemeral messaging so it automatically deletes messages.
Do photos on Signal disappear? ›
Use Signal Android or Signal iOS to send individual photos and videos that are automatically removed from a conversation thread after they have been viewed.
Tap and hold the message until you see a toolbar appear. On iPhones, it'll be at the bottom of the screen, but look for it at the top of the screen on Androids. 3. If you want to select multiple images, tap the selection icon, which looks like a bulleted list, and then select all the messages you want to delete.
Can Signal access my photos? ›
Signal also enables you to share files and photos with your contacts. From the conversation screen, tap the “+” icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen. At this point, Signal may ask for permission to your photos. You can choose “Select Photos…” or “Allow Access to All Photos.”
Can the other person see I deleted messages on Signal? ›
Can a user see an unsent message in Signal? In short, the answer is yes. But it's not always the case. Even after a message has been deleted by the sender, the recipient of the message will still be able to see that a message was deleted after having been sent to them.
Is Signal a safe app? ›
Is Signal safe to use? Yes. Signal's open-source nature, end-to-end encryption, and commitment to never collecting user data make it one of the safest messaging apps around. Of course, some situations may compromise this security, such as when an attacker physically gets a hold of your device.
Who can see my Signal profile picture? ›
Those who are in your address book, or part of any groups you accept can see your profile picture on Signal.
How long do messages stay on Signal? ›
Signal users can set messages to disappear after any length of time between one second to four weeks – the timer starts after a message is read. You can also adjust the time or turn the feature off if you change your mind.
What is the upload limit for Signal? ›
For example, Signal allows for videos up to 100 MB.
Can everyone see you on Signal? ›
Signal does not send your phone number to anyone unless you send them a message or make a call to them. Other members of your group chats may see your profile and phone number. The Signal service does not have any knowledge of your contacts.
Can cell phone companies see your pictures? ›
Your provider or "carrier" keeps records of your cellphone use, including calls and text messages, and even pictures sent from your phone. Almost all cellphone carriers give detailed information about a phone's use in billing statements sent to the owner.
Can anyone see your photos on your phone? ›
You are the only one who can see them unless you decide to share the images.
