Signal launches paid encrypted backups for media and messages

Signal launches paid encrypted backups

Signal has rolled out its first paid feature: an end-to-end encrypted backup option that stores media older than 45 days and extended text message history for $1.99 per month. The nonprofit frames the move as a cost-driven choice to cover storage and transfer expenses without resorting to ad revenue or data monetization.

There’s also a free backup tier. Free backups will retain media from the past 45 days and let users back up text messages beyond that limit up to 100MB — which Signal says should be enough even for heavy text users.

Key details at launch:

• $1.99/month tier: secure backups for media older than 45 days and extended message history.
• Free tier: media from the last 45 days plus up to 100MB of backed-up message text.
• Backups are encrypted and require a recovery key to unlock; Signal cannot recover a lost key.

Signal says backup archives are stored without a direct link to a payment or user account. When secure backups are enabled, devices create a new backup every day. Android beta access is available now, with iOS and desktop support promised soon. In the future, users will be able to choose where to store their encrypted archive.

Why now? According to Signal’s VP of engineering, media consumes large amounts of storage and bandwidth. As a nonprofit committed to not monetizing user data, Signal needs alternative revenue to offset those infrastructure costs while preserving privacy promises.

This change highlights a familiar tension for privacy-first services: how to remain sustainable without weakening user protections. A low monthly fee is a simple, transparent tradeoff — it buys storage without introducing ads or data harvesting — but it also introduces new user choices and risk points, especially around key management.

What organizations and heavy users should consider:

• Recovery key strategy: plan secure key storage and employee onboarding so a lost key doesn’t mean permanent data loss.
• Cost modeling: estimate media growth to decide if the paid tier is justified versus local retention policies.
• Compliance and privacy audits: verify that backup workflows meet regulatory and internal data-protection rules.

For NGOs, legal teams, and privacy-conscious enterprises, Signal’s new model offers a practical option to retain encrypted histories without compromising metadata collection. But it also raises operational questions: who holds recovery keys, how are backups rotated, and where will archives live once Signal enables user-chosen storage?

QuarkyByte’s approach is to turn such tradeoffs into measurable action. We model storage and bandwidth costs against user behavior, design secure key-management and recovery processes that align with privacy guarantees, and help organizations create migration and incident-response playbooks so encrypted backups are an asset, not a liability.

Signal’s paid backup is a small but meaningful shift for privacy tech: a pragmatic revenue move that preserves end-to-end encryption while asking users to accept new responsibility for their recovery keys. For many, that’s a fair exchange — but it’s one that benefits from planning and expertise.