The messaging app Signal has introduced its inaugural paid feature — the ability to create secure backups of media and text messages. For $1.99 a month, users can archive their media files and text messages without limits.
All data is encrypted, with access provided only through a unique recovery key. If this key is lost, recovery of data will not be possible.
Signal explains that the introduction of this paid option is necessary to cover the costs of storing large volumes of data. As a non-profit organization that does not monetize user data or display ads, the service is exploring alternative funding methods.
For users without a subscription, media is retained for only 45 days, while text messages are stored indefinitely but limited to 100 MB. According to Vice President of Engineering Jim O’Leary, this capacity should suffice even for active users.
Backups are created daily, regardless of account status or payment. In the future, Signal plans to allow users to store archives in a chosen location.
The new feature is already available in the beta version of Signal for Android. A public release, along with support for iOS and desktop platforms, is expected soon.
