Signal has completely revamped on-device backups for Android and released them in beta. The new backups are cross-platform, use less storage, and are much faster.
Backing up media files is now incremental: only files that have changed since the last backup are saved again, and duplicate files between backup points are automatically removed. This makes the new backups much more efficient and reduces storage usage.
The new on-device backups are no longer stored as a single file. Instead, they are saved as a folder containing multiple files.
Of course, the new backups are also end-to-end encrypted.
One recovery key for on-device backups and Signal Secure Backups
An important change is that after the upgrade, the key used to restore your on-device backup will also change. This recovery key consists of 64 characters and is the same key used for the (optional) Signal Secure Backups.
This is a major improvement because users now only need to keep one key to access their backups, making management much simpler and clearer.
Without the recovery key, you cannot restore your backup, so it is important to keep this key safe and not share it with anyone.
Availability
The revamped on-device backups are in beta version 8.5 for Android and will be rolled out to all Signal Android users after a testing period.
Later, iOS will also support on-device backups. Because the backups are cross-platform, it will also become easier to transfer backups between different devices and operating systems.
Signal Desktop beta testers with Android as a primary device can also start testing local backups on Desktop with beta version 8.5.
As soon as there is more news, you will find it on our website and social media.
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