Signal, the private messaging app, now lets users link an additional Android phone or iPhone to their account. Until now, you could only register Signal on one phone at a time. The update arrived with Signal version 8.20 on Android and version 8.22 on iPhone and iPad, according to The Verge. Signal's official blog post, titled "More linked devices are on the table (and the Android tablet)," confirms the change.

Previously, Signal let you connect a desktop computer or an iPad to your main phone, but not a second phone. If you carried both a work phone and a personal phone, or an Android phone and an iPhone, there was no way to get Signal messages on both. That limitation is now gone.

Once a device is linked, you can read and reply to new messages on any of them right away. Signal gives you a choice: you can transfer a copy of your past message history to the new device, or start fresh with an empty inbox. Signal uses end-to-end encryption, which means only you and the person you are chatting with can read your messages, not even Signal itself. Starting fresh on a phone you do not use as often can be a safer choice if that phone gets lost or borrowed.

The update also adds support for Android tablets. Signal had to redesign its app for larger screens, work that began with improving the app for foldable phones. The company says the tablet version is still a work in progress and is also working on improving the app for Chromebooks.

There are some limits to know about. Signal allows only one phone number per device. If your phone has two SIM cards, you still pick just one number for Signal. You can link up to five extra devices to your main phone at a time, according to Signal's support documentation. Linkable devices now include desktops, iPads, iPhones, or Android devices, per Signal's linked-devices support page.

Signal's linked-device system started with Signal Desktop in December 2015, a Chrome app that connected to your phone so you could see all your messages on a computer. A January 2025 blog post described linking a phone with a desktop or iPad. This update extends that same system to additional phones and Android tablets for the first time.

The update also builds on two privacy features from recent years. Phone number privacy, from February 2024, hides your phone number from people you chat with unless they already have it saved in their contacts. Signal Secure Backups, from September 2025, lets you save a private copy of your conversations that updates daily. These features help reduce the risk of having your information spread across more devices.

The security trade-off is simple: every device you link is another place someone could access your messages if that device is lost or stolen. Letting you choose whether to copy your message history to each device gives you control, which makes sense when you might be linking a phone, a second phone, a tablet, and a computer. The five-device limit is a reasonable cap.

What this means in practice is that Signal now works more like mainstream messaging apps such as WhatsApp or iMessage, where your conversations show up on every screen you own. The difference is that Signal keeps its end-to-end encryption throughout. Someone who carries a work phone and a personal phone can use one Signal account on both. A family with a shared Android tablet can link it without making it the main device.

One thing worth noting: Signal itself says the tablet experience is not finished yet, and Chromebook support is still in progress. Users expecting a polished tablet app today will probably find some rough edges. But the core feature, linking phones and tablets with private message sync, is available now.

For people who care about privacy and have wanted Signal on every device they own, the wait is over, with the understanding that the tablet experience will keep improving.