What Features Does Signal Offer for Messaging and Calling?

Signal is a free messaging and calling app built around end-to-end encryption, and its core feature set covers everyday communication: text, voice messages, photos, videos, GIFs, files, voice calls, video calls, encrypted stickers, and group chats. According to signal.org, every message and call is protected by the open-source Signal Protocol, and the service is free to use. If you want a messenger that handles routine chatting and calling without ads or tracking, Signal's feature list is designed for exactly that.

Messaging features

Signal covers the formats most people use day to day. Per the signal.org homepage, you can share:

• Text messages — standard one-to-one and group conversations.
• Voice messages — recorded audio sent as a message.
• Photos and videos — media sharing within conversations.
• GIFs — animated images.
• Files — document and file attachments.

The site states these are shared "for free," and that Signal uses your phone's data connection, which lets you avoid SMS and MMS fees. That last point matters if you currently pay per-message charges: Signal routes messages over data rather than the carrier SMS/MMS channel.

Encrypted stickers

Beyond standard media, Signal supports encrypted stickers, described on the homepage as "a new layer of expression." You can also create and share your own sticker packs. If custom stickers matter to you, this is a built-in feature rather than an add-on.

Calling features

Signal offers both voice and video calls. The homepage describes them as "crystal-clear" and notes you can call people across town or across the ocean with no long-distance charges. As with messaging, calls run over your phone's data connection, so the cost depends on your data plan rather than traditional long-distance rates.

Group communication

Group chats are supported and positioned for staying connected with family, friends, and coworkers. The homepage presents groups as a straightforward way to keep multiple people in one conversation.

Privacy and security across all features

The feature that ties everything together is encryption. Signal states that state-of-the-art end-to-end encryption, powered by the open-source Signal Protocol, keeps conversations secure — and that "we can't read your messages or listen to your calls, and no one else can either." The homepage frames privacy not as an optional mode but as how the app always works: "Every message, every call, every time."

Signal also states there are no ads, no affiliate marketers, and no creepy tracking in the app.

Cost and who runs it

Signal describes itself as free for everyone and an independent nonprofit — not tied to any major tech companies and unable to be acquired by one. Development is supported by grants and donations. So while the app is free to use, it is funded rather than monetized through ads or data.

Quick reference

How to decide if Signal fits your needs

Signal is a reasonable fit if you want:

• One app for both messaging and calling, including video.
• End-to-end encryption by default, not as an opt-in setting.
• No ads or tracking in your messenger.
• Group chats for personal or work coordination.
• To avoid SMS/MMS fees by messaging over data.

It may not fit if you specifically need SMS/MMS as the transport itself, or if you require features the homepage does not list. The signal.org page describes the capabilities above; anything beyond that isn't confirmed by this source.

To get started, the homepage provides a "Get Signal" action, along with links to Help, Blog, Developers, and Careers, plus a language selector covering dozens of languages including English, 简体中文, and 繁體中文.