🔐 SIGNAL IS ENCRYPTED. YOUR SETTINGS PROBABLY STILL LEAK YOUR NUMBER. Your messages are encrypted by default. The rest is up to you: your phone number, your lock screen, when you are online. Account (Settings > Account) • Set a Signal PIN. • Registration Lock: On. Without it, someone who SIM swaps your number can register your Signal account on their phone. It lapses after 7 days without using Signal. Privacy (Settings > Privacy) • Phone Number > Who can see my number: Nobody. • Phone Number > Who can find me by my number: Nobody. Create a username first, or new people can't reach you at all. • Screen Lock: On. An unlocked phone should not mean open chats. • Read receipts: Off. • Typing indicators: Off. • Advanced > Always Relay Calls: On. Calls go through Signal's servers, so your contacts don't see your IP address. Chats (Settings > Chats) • Generate Link Previews: Off. • Share Contacts with iOS: Off (iOS only). Data and Storage • Media auto-download: Off for everything. Nothing lands on your phone until you tap it. Notifications • Notification content: No Name or Content. Your lock screen shows nothing about who is writing or what they say. iOS Settings > Apps > Signal • Contacts: Off. Signal is only as private as your settings. This is the Signal baseline we use at