Signal's latest beta release adds the ability to link an Android phone or tablet to an existing Signal account as a secondary device. Until now, you could only link a computer or an iPad this way. AboutSignal first reported the feature in testing, and Signal has since updated its support docs with instructions (Engadget).

Here is what used to happen: an Android phone or tablet could be your main Signal device, but it could not be added as a companion to another account. If you had a personal phone and a work phone, or a phone and an Android tablet, there was no built-in way to use Signal on both. This beta removes that limitation for Android devices.

Signal has also built a split-screen layout for tablets, with your chat list on the left and your conversation on the right, according to AboutSignal and Engadget. This is the same kind of two-pane design you see on desktop messaging apps and on Signal's iPad version, rather than just stretching the phone screen to fit.

The feature is still in beta, meaning it is not finished or widely available yet. Signal has not said when it will be ready for everyone. An issue filed on Signal's Android GitHub page in March 2026 (issue #14680) reports that a Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 could not be linked as a secondary device — the user only saw a screen asking for a phone number instead of the linking process (GitHub). That report came before the current beta coverage, but the problem it describes fits with a feature that is still rolling out across different devices.

There is also a gap in Signal's own documentation. The troubleshooting page for multiple devices still lists only iPads and computers as supported linked devices at the time of this beta (Signal Support). The linked-devices help page, though, has been updated with Android-specific instructions (Signal Support). This kind of mismatch is normal during a beta, but it means someone checking the troubleshooting page might not realize Android devices are now supported.

To understand how this works, it helps to know that Signal does not use a traditional username-and-password login system. Instead, your main phone holds your account and your encryption keys. When you link a second device, that device gets a copy of your messages and stays in sync going forward, but it is not a separate login. Think of it like giving a spare key to a trusted second phone rather than creating a brand-new account. The linking process is similar to what already exists for computers and iPads: your main phone shows a QR code, and the second device scans it to connect.

The practical benefit is simple. If you carry an Android phone and an Android tablet, or if you keep a second phone for work or travel, you can now use Signal on both without having to set up a separate phone number on each one. For people who chose Signal specifically because it protects their privacy, avoiding the need to re-register a phone number on a second device is a real convenience.

The open questions are how quickly this feature reaches a stable release and whether the linking problems reported on GitHub get fully fixed. For now, anyone who uses Signal on more than one Android device should consider testing the beta.