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Practical messaging identity privacy

Review Signal phone-number privacy and username limits

Review number discovery, username sharing and existing conversations separately. Check identity through a trusted channel and keep recipient copies in view.

Sources checked .

Conceptual illustration

Review the two number controls separately

Signal documents Settings > Privacy > Phone Number for version 7.0 or later. Review the visibility control and the discovery control as separate choices. The guide does not establish your installed version or current account settings. Signal: usernames, existing chats and phone-number settings

Consider how people will reach you

Signal says restricting number discovery requires setting number visibility to Nobody first. People starting a new connection may need your exact username; existing chats and messages you initiate are exceptions. Signal: phone-number privacy, usernames and chat linkage

Use the intended username-sharing route

Signal documents sharing the exact username, its QR code or a unique link. Its username link does not include the username text. Signal: phone-number privacy, usernames and chat linkage

Review visibility before blocking a contact

Signal warns that a person who could see your number when blocked can continue seeing it afterward. Its guidance recommends reviewing number privacy before blocking. Signal: profile identity, blocking and recipient copies

Keep established conversations in mind when changing a username

Changing or deleting a username does not affect existing chats, according to Signal. Review the conversation separately. Signal: usernames, existing chats and phone-number settings

Verify the connection through a trusted channel

If automatic key verification is unavailable, Signal recommends comparing safety numbers or scanning the safety-number QR code, ideally in person or through another trusted channel. Signal: key verification availability and identity limits

Distinguish local chat deletion from the recipient's history

Signal says deleting an existing chat does not delete that history from the other person's devices. Signal: profile identity, blocking and recipient copies

Questions and answers

Can a restricted discovery setting prevent every existing contact route?

Signal lists existing conversations and messages you initiate as exceptions. Signal: phone-number privacy, usernames and chat linkage

Does a missing automatic-verification status mean encryption ended?

Signal says messages remain end-to-end encrypted when that feature is unavailable. Signal: key verification availability and identity limits

Does removing my local chat erase the other person's copy?

Signal says local chat deletion does not do that. Signal: profile identity, blocking and recipient copies

Sources and scope

Public Signal instructions checked 10-24-2026; the documented number-settings route is for version 7.0 or later. Signal's help pages conflict about number visibility to saved contacts. A number someone already knows should not be treated as erased. Menus and account behavior were reviewed against public help, with no physical-phone or private-account test.

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