Signal makes it easier to transfer old chats to new phone - here is how

Signal. (PC-AFP)

WhatsApp has had a bumpy ride recently. With many users unhappy with the changes made to its privacy policies, there have been a lot of people who have moved over to other platforms. One of those other platforms is Signal and now they have just made it a lot easier to transfer chats over from older phones.

Signal like many other platforms in the wake of the WhatsApp fallout has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people willing to switch over to its services. With the sudden influx of users, the messenger has been rushing to add features that are commonplace on other chat services.

With the ability to now transfer chats, it would at least make the service comparable to the likes of WhatsApp and Telegram (Another popular alternative that has seen a massive number of people flock to its service). Both WhatsApp and Telegram have ways to transfer old chats over from older devices and now Signal is also testing that feature.

Prior to this feature, Signal only allowed local backups of your chats on the device. Unlike WhatsApp, you cannot save a copy of your chats on the cloud, instead you manually create a encrypted backup on your device and then transfer that over to a new phone.

With the new beta, Signal is looking to make things easier. The new feature allows you to copy old chats from your old phone wirelessly using a Wi-Fi Direct connection. If you have the beta installed, just head to settings & chats and then tap on "Transfer account".

That's it! Just follow the instructions on screen and wait for your transfer to complete. Its worth noting that Signal will automatically disable your account on the old phone when you switch things over.