Signal Messaging Platform Stops Working As Downloads Surge

Signal's messaging app said it was experiencing "technical difficulties" on Friday as it worked to support millions of new users.

Some users have recorded messages that have failed to be sent for several hours on both mobile and desktop apps, reports BBC.

The company has seen a huge uptick in interest since its rival WhatsApp unveiled new privacy terms last week.

On Twitter, Signal said it had added servers "at a record pace" and was working to restore service.

"Millions upon millions of new users are sending a message that privacy matters," it said in a tweet.

Both Signal and Telegram, another encrypted messaging app that is free to use, have benefited from frustration caused by the revised terms and conditions of WhatsApp.

WhatsApp told its two billion users that if they wanted to continue using it, they had to allow it to exchange data with its parent company, Facebook.

This does not apply to users in the UK and Europe - but the notification was sent to everyone.

WhatsApp stressed that it was not new to its tradition of exchanging data with Facebook and was not being extended. It said there was "confusion" about its post, which initially gave people until 8 February to approve or avoid using the service with its revised terms.

WhatsApp has now changed the cut-off date to 15 May, saying it would use the time to clear up misinformation.

"We can't see your private messages or hear your calls, and neither can Facebook," WhatsApp said in an earlier FAQ blog post.

Signal was downloaded 246,000 times worldwide in the week before WhatsApp revealed the move on 4 January, and 8.8 million times a week after, according to data from analytics firm Sensor Tower.

Downloads in India went from 12.000 to 2.7 million. They jumped from 7.400 to 191.000 in the UK, and from 63.000 to 1.1 million in the US.

On Wednesday, Telegram said it had surpassed 500 million active users globally. Downloads jumped from 6.5 million in the week starting 28 December, to 11 million during the following week.

During the same period, WhatsApp's global downloads shrank from 11.3 million to 9.2 million.

What does WhatsApp share with Facebook?

WhatsApp has said the data it shares from users outside the EU and UK does not include messages, groups or call logs.

However, it does include:

phone number and other information provided on registration (such as name) information about the user's phone, including make, model, and mobile company internet protocol (IP) addresses, which indicate the location of a user's internet connections any payments and financial transactions made over WhatsApp