Signal to End Support for SMS and MMS Messages

If you’re an Android user, Signal has some bad news for you. The company is starting to phase out SMS and MMS message support from its app. This change will only affect users who have Signal set as their default SMS app.

Signal will start notifying these users to export their messages and switch to a new messaging app. While this announcement may come as a surprise to some, it’s important to note that Signal has always been capable of managing SMS and MMS messages.

In fact, the Signal for Android app could be configured as the default SMS/MMS app since its beginning as TextSecure.

The company says that this decision is part of an effort to streamline the user experience and prioritize security and privacy. When Signal is used as the unified Android messaging app, both Signal and non-Signal contacts are displayed in the contact list.

While this change is only happening on the Android platform for now, it’s possible that Signal will eventually phase out SMS and MMS support on other platforms as well. So if you’re a Signal user, be sure to keep an eye out for any future announcements from the company.