Create a Signal account without a phone number in 2026

Not in the regular app. Signal's Terms say "to create an account you must register for our Services using your phone number," and the standard sign-up on iPhone and Android asks for one. What Signal does let you do is keep that number hidden from everyone you talk to, and its Android beta has started testing a paid sign-up with no number at all.

Everything below comes from Signal's own support site, Terms and blog, checked on November 3, 2026.

Does Signal require a phone number?

For the version most people install from the App Store or Google Play, yes. Three of Signal's own pages say so:

The Terms of Service at signal.org/legal: "To create an account you must register for our Services using your phone number. You agree to receive text messages and phone calls (from us or our third-party providers) with verification codes."
The registration guide on Signal Support: "Signal uses your existing phone number," and "the number must be able to receive an insecure SMS or phone call."
The usernames FAQ: "You will still need a phone number to sign up for Signal even if you want to use a username to start chats with others in the app."

Signal Desktop doesn't get around this either. Signal's troubleshooting page says "Signal Desktop must link with either Signal Android or Signal iOS to be available for messaging." You register on the phone, then link the computer.

The Android beta that skips the number

Signal's support site now has an article titled Phone Numberless Registration for Android beta, last updated October 8, 2026. It describes an optional sign-up called Signal Login: "Instead, you make a small one-time purchase, and Signal gives you a set of cryptographic keys that serve as your account identity going forward."

Here is what Signal's article says about it:

Detail	What Signal says
Where	Signal beta for Android, version 8.28 or later
Cost	A one-time $2.99 fee
What you get instead of a number	A 32-character Account ID and a 64-character Recovery Key
How people find you	Only by username. Without one, "other users won't be able to find or contact you on Signal"
Extra security	Authenticator apps (TOTP) and passkeys
If you lose the keys	"There is no phone number fallback. If you lose both of these keys, Signal has no way to recover your account for you."

The steps in Signal's article are short. Open the beta, tap Continue, allow permissions, tap Register Without Phone Number, pay the fee, then save your Account ID and Recovery Key "manually or to a Password Manager," confirm them, and add an optional username.

Two things to keep in mind. This is a beta on Android only, as of today. Signal's Terms and its main registration guide still describe a phone number, and we found no announcement on the Signal blog yet, so expect details to change. And with no number to fall back on, those two keys are the account. Signal's 2FA page adds that it "doesn't store any recovery codes for your second factors right now," and can't reset them. If you try it, store the keys the way you would store the only key to a safe.

Why Signal asks for a number

Signal answers this directly in its usernames FAQ: "Requiring phone numbers in Signal lets people see which of their friends they can easily talk to on Signal while limiting the potential for spam within the app."

Its privacy policy adds that "phone numbers are used to provide our Services to you and other Signal users." In practice, the number is how your existing contacts discover you're on Signal without you telling them, and it makes mass sign-ups by spammers costlier.

How to sign up for Signal the standard way

Install Signal on your iPhone or Android phone.
Review the Terms and Privacy Policy and tap Continue.
Enter and confirm your phone number, then tap Continue on Android or Next on iPhone.
Enter the verification code. It arrives by SMS. If it doesn't, wait for the timer and tap Call me for a voice call instead.
Set a Signal PIN. Signal says it helps "recover your profile, settings, contacts, and block list if you ever lose or switch devices."
Before you message anyone, change the privacy settings below. That is what decides who sees your number.

Signal says it "will never ask for this code," so never read your verification code to anyone, including someone claiming to be Signal Support.

How to hide your number from everyone on Signal

Since February 2024, Signal hides your number by default. Its blog post announcing the change says "your phone number will no longer be visible to everyone you chat with by default." There are two settings, both under Settings > Privacy > Phone Number, and they do different things.

Setting	Default	What it controls
Who can see my number	Nobody	Whether your number shows on your profile to people you chat with. People who already have it saved in their contacts still see it.
Who can find me by my number	Everybody	Whether someone who types your number into Signal can see you're on it and send a message request.

To hide your number from everyone, including people who already have it, set both to Nobody. Signal requires this order: "If nobody can find you by your phone number, you must first set 'Who can see my number' to nobody."

Signal is honest about the cost. With "Who can find me by my number" set to Nobody, "even if someone knows you and has your phone number in their phone's contacts, they will not know that they can message you." To connect, you have to give them your username.

The settings are also all or nothing. The Deeper Dive article says "you cannot choose to display your phone number to certain individuals or groups, but not others."

Set up a username

A Signal username is a way to start a chat without sharing your number. It is not your profile name, and other people don't see it on your profile. Signal's rules:

Between 3 and 32 characters, using a to z, 0 to 9 and underscores
At least two digits at the end, which you can choose
Not case sensitive, and you can have only one at a time

To create one, open Signal, tap your profile icon (then Settings on iPhone), tap your profile, and tap next to the @ symbol. You can share it as text, as a QR code, or as a link, and Signal notes "the URL does not include the text of your username." Signal has no searchable directory, so someone needs your exact username, numbers included.

One caveat Signal spells out: if you already chatted with someone by phone number and they later message your username, "the chats will merge," and "they will find out that the username is the same person as the phone number." That holds even with discovery set to Nobody. If you want a username that stays separate from your number, don't give it to people who already have the number.

Keep the account if you change or lose the number

On a regular account the number still matters after sign-up, so plan for it.

Changing SIM doesn't change Signal. Signal says "changing SIM cards does not automatically change your Signal number." To move to a new number, use Settings > Account > Change Phone Number while your old phone still works. Your username stays the same.
Travel works, reinstalling may not. Signal runs over the internet abroad, but "in order to reinstall or re-register Signal, you need access to SMS or calls to your SIM card."
Turn on registration lock. Your PIN "can also serve as a registration lock," so someone who gets your number can't simply register it. Forget the PIN and you "may be locked out of your account for up to 7 days."
Losing the phone is serious. Signal's lost-phone page says "until you have access to your phone number, there is nothing that can be done with Signal."

For a broader look at where Signal fits next to email, read is Signal safer than email.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sign up for Signal with an email address?

No. Signal's Terms say you register using your phone number, and the regular app has no email option. The only documented way without a number is the Android beta's Signal Login, which uses an Account ID and Recovery Key, not an email.

Will people in Signal groups see my number?

Not by default. Signal says that if "Who can see my phone number" is Nobody, "the only people who will see your phone number in Signal will be the people who have saved it to their phone's contacts." Set "Who can find me by my number" to Nobody as well to hide it from them too.

Can I have two Signal accounts on one phone?

No. Signal's dual SIM page says "Signal can only be registered to one phone number per mobile device."

Can I use Signal on my computer without a phone?

Not with a standard account. Signal Desktop has to be linked to Signal on an Android phone or iPhone.

Does changing my username tell my contacts?

No. Signal says that when you create, change or delete a username, "your contacts and groups will not be notified." Your old username can't be claimed by anyone else for about a week, then it's free again.

The other half: the email you sign up with

Signal is built around a number, or around keys you guard yourself. Most of your other accounts are built around an email address, and that address doesn't need to be tied to a phone. Big providers often ask for one; we cover what Gmail and Outlook require, and our page on email without a phone number covers the rest.

Secria Mail's sign-up is a name, the address you want and a password, with no phone number and no card. You save a 12-word recovery phrase instead of a recovery phone. The free plan has 1 GB and 2 email aliases, so each app or site can get its own address while your main one stays private.

Signal keeps your number private. Your email can skip it entirely: create a free Secria address.