Privacy is a right, not a privilege, which is why the ability to send encrypted messages is important. For some people, like journalists or other people who do sensitive work, this ability is extremely important. But nowadays, thanks to popular apps, it’s possible for you to send encrypted text messages to your friends, family, or co-workers pretty easily, no matter what you do.
The most popular encrypted messaging app is WhatsApp, which is a platform owned by Facebook. The most secure app is possibly Signal, which you can find on both Android and iPhone and install without any problems. Although this app is open source it installs from the app store within a few taps so you won’t risk messing up your phone, which would force you to get iPhone repair.
Although sending encrypted messages is easier than it ever was, there’s still a major problem – these apps are connected to your actual phone number. This is extremely convenient because you won’t have to remember a username or password to use the app – just send encrypted messages to contacts in your phone book.
However, posting your public number online on social media channels, job finding sites or just handing it out is risky. You might open yourself up for harassment or abuse if your number falls into the wrong hands, and cybercriminals are scraping websites for useful information like phone numbers to hijack in SIM swap scams.
So we will explain how you can create a Signal number that’s safe to publish online, while your real phone number remains private. With a private phone number, you can establish a level of online safety, avoiding targeted malware and the subsequent need for iPhone repair to remove it.
To set up the Signal service, you need to provide a phone number so that the app can register your account. They’ll first try to send an SMS message with a verification code, but if this fails, you have the option to try a voice call. Basically, a robot voice will give you a verification code, you type it into the app, and the app registers the account.
Note that after this first step of verifying a phone number is completed, Signal will use the internet for everything. Your phone number is basically a username – the way to identify your Signal account.
So, if you can access a phone number where you can answer voice calls, like a VoIP number or landline, you can use this number with Signal.
You can use:
- A free Google Voice phone number
- A phone number from an online calling service like Skype
- A pre-paid SIM card for a few bucks a month that you can temporarily put on your phone to register your Signal number
- A phone number purchased from cloud service Twilio for $1/month
Keep in mind that you need to have control over the phone number – so a disposable SMS service, a payphone, or an old SIM you don’t plan to renew are out of the question.
You’ll also need a dedicated device to use with your second number on Signal. The device doesn’t need to have phone service, and it doesn’t even really need to be a phone.
If you use Android, you can take advantage of
its support for multiple user accounts on a single device. Create a second user
account on your device specifically for your second Signal number.
If you’re an iPhone user, you can find a separate iOS or Android device and use
it for your second number. It doesn’t need to have phone service – it could be
an iPod Touch, an Android Tablet, or an iPad.
After you have picked out a second device and phone number, register it with Signal.
Signal will ask you to type in your number, and will attempt to send you an SMS number – but it will fail because the device you are using for your second Signal account won’t be associated with the phone number you type in.
Now you’ll have the opportunity to do voice verification.
A robot will call and tell you a verification number to insert into the box in your Signal app. Tap on “verify.” Hopefully, this will have been a success, and your new, anonymous phone number will now be registered with the Signal service.
Now anyone can send you truly anonymous messages to your second device that you’ve registered with Signal. You can tell everyone to contact you using this number, and the messages will be directed to your secondary device. We hope this tutorial has been helpful for you and that you can use it to protect your online privacy and guard your phone so you don’t have to wind up in an iPhone repair shop trying to get Malware removed from your primary iPhone.