Once I first began utilizing Sign, I’d join with buddies utilizing our cellphone numbers. Now, I exploit Sign to seek out individuals to interview for tales, which is why a few of my social media posts and articles embody a observe telling of us how they’ll attain me on the app.
Evidently, I’d reasonably not plaster my cellphone quantity everywhere in the web. So it’s a aid that Sign enables you to create a username in an effort to preserve your cellphone quantity non-public. Different individuals can discover you on the app utilizing that username, they usually received’t have the ability to see your cellphone quantity. (By the way in which, in the event you’re a present or former employee for a federal science company and wish to join, you may attain me on Sign at bqe210.91.) Even in the event you’re not a reporter, it may be simpler to alternate a brief username with somebody reasonably than a cellphone quantity.
You possibly can preserve it mysterious and name your self no matter you need
In Sign, you truly use two completely different names: a profile identify and a username. As we’ve mentioned, the username is what others seek for on the app to seek out you. When you begin messaging one another, they’ll see your profile identify. In case your username could be very completely different from what individuals often name you, you may take this chance to make use of a nickname or actual identify. Or you may preserve it mysterious and name your self no matter you need.
Listed here are some methods you should use Sign most successfully. (And if you wish to study extra about what makes Sign a safer approach to join with individuals, The Verge’s Allison Johnson breaks it all down in another guide.)
Change your profile identify and username
If you first create a Sign account, you’ll be prompted to set a profile identify and picture. If you wish to change this in a while:
- Faucet in your profile icon to navigate to Settings.
- Faucet in your profile icon once more, after which on the individual icon to alter the profile identify.
You can even choose Edit Picture so as to add a picture.
- Utilizing an Android system, faucet your profile icon. This may convey you to Settings. Faucet your profile icon once more.
- Utilizing an iOS system, navigate to Settings after which faucet your profile icon once more.
- Then, faucet on the “@” image to edit your username.
When you set a username, individuals can nonetheless seek for you utilizing your cellphone quantity, until you alter a separate setting. If you happen to don’t need individuals to have the ability to discover you by your cellphone quantity:
- Navigate to privateness settings. On Android, faucet the three dots on the higher proper, and go to Settings > Privateness > Cellphone quantity. On iOS, out of your private icon on the higher left, go to Settings > Privateness > Cellphone Quantity.
- When you’re there you can also make it in order that both Everyone or No person can discover you by your quantity.
- You can even select who’ll have the ability to see your quantity (once more, it’s Everyone or No person.)
You continue to want a cellphone quantity to register for Sign. However final yr, Sign announced that customers’ cellphone numbers would not be seen to individuals they chat with by default.
Message and name different individuals
If you open the app, there’s an icon that appears like a speech bubble just like the Sign emblem. Faucet on that to see your messages.
To talk with somebody new, faucet on the button that appears like a pencil writing on a sq.. From there, you may seek for a contact with their username or cellphone quantity. You can even faucet on New Group to begin a gaggle chat (which you’ll identify as properly).
I additionally love making voice calls on Sign — it’s an incredible different in the event you don’t wish to depart any messages behind as proof.
- Faucet on the icon that appears like an old-school cellphone receiver to make a name.
- Then faucet on the icon that appears like a cellphone receiver with a plus signal subsequent to it to seek for a contact by username or cellphone quantity.
- To arrange a gaggle name, you may faucet on “Create a Name Hyperlink,” after which copy and share that hyperlink with others.
Share a QR code along with your username
Just like Venmo, Sign can generate a QR code you can share to make it simpler for individuals to seek out you on the app. To drag this up:
- From Settings, faucet in your profile icon
- Faucet on QR Code or Hyperlink.
Arrange nicknames for different customers
In case it makes it simpler to recollect who’s who on the app, you may also set nicknames to your contacts. Simply navigate to an individual’s profile, and faucet Nickname subsequent to an icon of a pencil. That’ll allow you to set the identify you see whenever you message that individual, and there’s additionally a subject for any notes you wish to jot down about this individual.
It’s good digital hygiene to delete messages after a sure period of time, and Sign enables you to do that mechanically. Below Settings, faucet on Privateness after which Disappearing Messages. This lets you set a default time interval for messages to vanish everytime you begin a brand new chat with somebody.
You can even create completely different settings for every individual or group you chat with.
- Click on on the profile icon in your message historical past.
- Then faucet Disappearing Messages to set a selected time interval.
Sign features a vary of choices from 30 seconds to 4 weeks from time of sending. It additionally enables you to set a customized time for deleting messages.
For an added layer of safety, I set a display lock on my cellphone and my Sign app to reduce the chance of anybody aside from me seeing my messages. To set a display lock on the app, navigate to Settings > Privateness > Display Lock. This selection is just out there on telephones with Display Lock, and never on the desktop model.
Switch your account between gadgets
Say you wish to use your Sign account in your cellphone and a pc or iPad, Sign enables you to hyperlink a number of gadgets to a cellphone quantity — however there are limits. You possibly can hyperlink as much as 5 gadgets to a single cellphone, however you may’t hyperlink to a different cellphone. You possibly can’t hyperlink Android tablets both.
From Settings, faucet Linked Units so as to add a brand new system. You’ll must obtain the Sign App on the system you wish to hyperlink and pull up a QR code that you just’ll then scan utilizing your cellphone.
When you’ve added a brand new system, you may choose whether or not you wish to sync your chat and name historical past from the previous 45 days. Take into account that every system you hyperlink to can create one other alternative for somebody to get into your messages, so proceed with warning.