In a bid to catch up with WhatsApp, Signal is rolling out new features in beta

With WhatsApp’s recent controversies over its parent company, Facebook’s privacy policies, many people have vowed to stop using their services. In a world that’s become technologically savvy and people are aware of large corporations stealing user data blatantly, a market for privacy-focused services has started to rise. Signal and Telegram have been quick to adapt to these changes in the tech environment, providing end to end encryption, with the promise of not storing user data. 

Also read: What Is The Signal App And Why Is Elon Musk Recommending It? Find Out

Signal, the new app from the co-founder of WhatsApp, has seen incredible growth all over the world, over the past month or so. However, Signal is a pretty bare app, lacking a lot of features that WhatsApp users are used to. In a bid to compete with WhatsApp, Signal has started rolling out new features to the beta version and will be available publicly soon. 

List of Upcoming Features in Signal Messaging App 

Custom Wallpaper with a Dark Theme 

Signal used to have default black and white wallpapers in the chats depending on whether the user had a light or dark theme on their device. With a new beta update, Signal has added a total of 21 wallpaper designs that users can use as backgrounds for their chats. You can apply these to all conversations or choose specific wallpapers for specific chats. The Signal app now also allows users to choose any images from their device gallery to set as the wallpaper.

Also Read: Signal 503 Error: Why Is Signal App Not Working? What Can Users Do About It?

Animated Sticker Pack 'Day by Day'

When the Signal app was released to the public, it had very few, almost negligible number of animated stickers that users could use. With this update, Signal added a new animated sticker pack called ‘Day by Day’. It’s going to be installed by default, so you won’t have the hassle of searching for it to download it. The pack contains 24 stickers with animated emoticons.

Also Read: How To Hide Chats In Signal App: A Detailed Guide For Android And IOS Users

The 'About/Status' Section 

The Signal app has also added an ‘About’ option for users to put on their profiles. This is also similar to WhatsApp’s about/status feature. You can write something to the tune of a short self-introduction. You can save many different ‘About’ texts and can easily switch them up. When your contacts look at your profile, they will see the photo you have set and the ‘About’ section.

All these new features are available in the Beta v5.3.1. of the app. You can get it by joining the official Signal app beta on Playstore on Android and the App Store on Apple devices. Or, you can wait for these features to roll out to the official app.

Also Read: How To Clear Chat In Signal App: Delete Sent Messages From The Recipient's Phone