Privacy-focused messaging app Signal has launched a long-awaited feature. The company has developed a new feature that allows users to back up all content, including chats, documents, photos, and videos. The feature, called “Secure Backups,” was first released in beta for Android users.

Signal is introducing a backup feature

The new backup system is protected by end-to-end encryption. Users are offered two options: free and paid. The free plan backs up all messages, photos, videos, GIFs, and files from the last 45 days.

A total of 100MB of compressed storage is provided for media and messages. Signal states that this space is sufficient even for heavy users. If users want to back up messages older than 45 days, they must upgrade to a paid subscription for $2 per month.

Signal provides a special 64-character recovery key, separate from a PIN, to decrypt the backed up data. This key is the only way to access the messages. The company recommends users store this key in a password manager or keep a safe record. Losing the key also means losing access to all backed-up messages.

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