This is not a surprise to veteran iOS users, or Signal enthusiasts. There is no way to backup your chats, not in a way that I can count as reliable and proper, and that's a hard no for me now. There are "workarounds" but they are shambolic, really.

Between hopes and dreams.

When moving to iOS, I decided to take a chance and install Signal. I was already losing all my chats from Android at the time, but I had hoped that we'd see a backup solution on iOS any month from that point on and there was an option to archive all my chats for posterity. My patience then finally ran out when I was asked to backup all my content before sending in my device for a small repair.

Icing on the cake for this situation… here's what we have from the Signal team (emphasis mine):

"It is highly unlikely we will ever build a file based backup system for iOS...The future for moving your data between devices in Signal likely looks like a choice between direct peer-to-peer transfer or restoration from some form of secure network storage."

— Nora Trapp, Signal, November 2020

Sounds like Android literally just got lucky with a backup solution. It could just have been iOS if it were more technically feasible at the time they introduced backups.

Workplace history.

I suppose MilitaryGradeUser raises a good point here:

"In 2020 and last year Michael and Matthew left the team and they were the first professional iOS developers that Signal ever had!"

— MilitaryGradeUser, Signal Community Forums, August 2022

I wish all of them luck, but it is clear that at this time, I can't keep using Signal.

Moving on.

I'm now using a mix of other proprietary instant messengers, and all my chats are self-deleting on Signal (at least the expectations are clearly set!).

Between losing years worth of messages and being able to search and look back on those same years worth of messages, I know which one is more important to me — proprietary or not.

I encourage you to get in touch over email by using the following convenience link for any discussion: comment via email.