Signal is testing a long-requested option that lets users create accounts without providing a phone number, with the feature arriving in the Android 8.28 beta.
Numberless accounts instead use an Account ID and Account Key and require a one-time payment intended to deter spam.
Signal staff member Greyson Parrelli detailed the feature in a post on the Signal Community forums. He later said Android version 8.28.1 distributed through GitHub and Obtainium had numberless registration properly enabled.
Users choosing the new registration method are asked to make a one-time in-app purchase costing $3 in the United States, with pricing varying by country.
Signal is a privacy-focused messaging service offering end-to-end encrypted messages, voice calls, video calls, and group chats. Until now, users still needed a phone number to register, even though Signal already lets them hide that number from others and communicate through usernames.
According to Parrelli, the registration fee is primarily an anti-spam measure that prevents attackers from creating large numbers of accounts at little or no cost.
Signal says the payment uses the same zero-knowledge proof system employed by its donation infrastructure, preventing the purchase from being directly linked to the newly created Signal account.
However, the initial implementation relies on Google Play billing, meaning users need Google Play services to purchase a numberless account. Signal says it plans to add other payment methods but has not provided a timeline.
That limitation prompted concerns from community members who want phone-numberless registration specifically to reduce their reliance on Google services or bypass environments where SMS verification is blocked.
Parrelli acknowledged that the current implementation will not cover every use case and said Signal has plans to address some of those situations in the future.
Account ID and Account Key replace phone-based registration
After payment, users receive an Account ID and Account Key, which Parrelli compared to a username and password.
Users must store both securely because Signal offers no recovery mechanism if either is lost. The app therefore encourages users to save them in a password manager.
Numberless accounts also do not use Signal's existing PIN system, as the Account Key replaces its role.
Users can optionally create a Signal username to make the account reachable by others. Without one, the account can only participate in conversations it initiates itself.
Signal is also adding optional two-factor authentication for numberless accounts, initially using TOTP codes from authenticator apps. Passkey support, including hardware security keys, is planned for a later release.
Losing access to all configured second factors will permanently lock the account, so Signal recommends adding more than one authentication method.
Existing accounts cannot drop their phone numbers
The beta does not allow existing phone-number-based Signal accounts to remove their number and convert to a numberless account.
Parrelli said Signal's longer-term goal may be to make phone numbers optional account attributes that users can add or remove, although there is no timeline for that change.
Existing users can already disable phone-number discoverability, but the number remains tied to the account itself.
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