# Signal is working on a standalone version of Signal Desktop that does not require a mobile phone **URL:** https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/signal-is-working-on-a-standalone-version-of-signal-desktop-that-does-not-require-a-mobile-phone/37490 **Category:** News **Tags:** software, article **Created:** 2026-04-29T18:18:10Z **Posts:** 30 ## Post 1 by @PurpleDime — 2026-04-29T18:18:10Z > **[Signal Desktop without a smartphone, standalone version in development](https://aboutsignal.com/news/signal-desktop-without-a-mobile-phone-standalone-version-in-development/)** > > Signal is working on a standalone version of its desktop app that does not require a smartphone. Signal Desktop will also gain additional options when used as a linked device. **TL;DR:** > _ **Signal is working on changes that will allow users to set up Signal Desktop as a standalone device, without the need for a mobile phone. In the meantime,** _ > > _ **Signal Desktop will also get more options so you can use it better as a primary device when it is still linked to your phone. Both changes will significantly improve the user experience of Signal on a computer or laptop.** _ > > […] > > _ **To register on Signal Desktop, a phone number will still be required. However, this can be either a mobile number or a landline, including basic mobile phones or dumb phones. This will make Signal accessible to users without a smartphone.** _ --- ## Post 3 by @seize — 2026-04-29T19:50:43Z I think the last paragraph you quoted is quite important: > To register on Signal Desktop, a phone number will still be required. However, this can be either a mobile number or a landline, including basic mobile phones or dumb phones. This will make Signal accessible to users without a smartphone. As this makes it clear that Signal’s phone number requirements will remain in place, where as the title of the article and this topic post almost imply that Signal is getting rid of there phone number requirement altogether _(which they are not)._ You might say “mobile number” and “phone number” are two clearly different things, but to someone briefly scanning this, among other reasons, I could easily see confusion arising from that wording. With that nitpicking around the headline out of the way this is quite interesting news. I’ll be quite interested to see what official Signal Marketing social media channels have to say about this as it develops. --- ## Post 4 by @PurpleDime — 2026-04-29T19:59:07Z > [@seize](#): > > I think the last paragraph you quoted is quite important: Yes. I included it because I didn’t want people to get confused. > [@seize](#): > > You might say “mobile number” and “phone number” are two clearly different things, but to someone briefly scanning this, among other reasons, I could easily see confusion arising from that wording. That’s why they didn’t use either term and used “mobile phone” instead. Because right now, Signal desktop depends heavily on your phone. If you fail to regularly update Signal on mobile, you could lose your Signal desktop connection. Signal is trying to make their desktop version less dependent on your phone. The way it currently works, your phone is considered your primary device. Signal is working on the ability to make their desktop less of an extension of your phone so you can sign up to Signal via desktop. > [@seize](#): > > With that nitpicking around the headline out of the way this is quite interesting news. It’s definitely a step in the right direction. I wonder if they’ll support VoIP numbers eventually? --- ## Post 6 by @seize — 2026-04-29T20:08:29Z > [@PurpleDime](#): > > I wonder if they’ll support VoIP numbers eventually? I would be surprised if the did this anytime soon, considering the past statements made by Signal stating that the phone number requirement was essential to reducing spam on the platform. Unlike a landline or “regular” smart/mobile phone number (sim/esim). There are numerous _free_ and _nearly free_ VoIP providers that Signal would potentially want to block to reduce spam even if they did begin accepting VoIP numbers in some limited capacity. --- ## Post 7 by @anonymous595 — 2026-04-29T20:13:31Z > [@PurpleDime](#): > > _T_o register on Signal Desktop, a phone number will still be required. However, this can be either a mobile number or a landline, including basic mobile phones or dumb phones. So no big changes, just “cosmetic” patch. Phone number are evil. You don’t own them (just renting from isp). Cellular connection are extremely easy to track (IMEI, IMSI, possible backdoors in modem proprietary firmware). Any number can be lost, people can move. It is extremely inconvenient to update them everywhere. SS7 contains CRITICAL vulnerabilities ([see video](https://youtube.com/watch?v=wVyu7NB7W6Y) from Veritasium) allowing to hijack SMS or even call. They also get “hacked” because of SMS ([official post](https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/4850133017242-Twilio-Incident-What-Signal-Users-Need-to-Know)) Is this what they call security? Phone numbers costs money. Why I need to pay for phone number just to sign up? It is really unfortunate that Signal doesn’t allow to sign up by login/pass and just use usernames. Or at least email sign-up… --- ## Post 8 by @Expert4870 — 2026-04-29T20:14:10Z **On the topic of spam:** I don’t think they really took advantage of using the mobile platform for spam prevention—it’s easier to emulate a browser than a phone (see [Sim Farms](https://www.wired.com/story/sim-farm-new-york-threatened-us-infrastructure-feds-say/) / [Archive](https://archive.ph/P8pHv)). You find a phone number of an average person and anyone can find their passwords, emails, real name, and home address just from that. Signal makes it significantly easier to sign up than something like WhatsApp—needing only a phone number, and not necessarily one with a good reputation. Given that, I think the real way to prevent spam and phishing is to push hard on usernames. Phone numbers leak all the time, and everyone knows them; usernames you can change for each new contact or whenever you get spam, and they don’t really leak as they aren’t used online. I do admit it was a good idea for Signal to require a phone number for the contact-based network effect. But once you’ve completed moving your contact list onto Signal, there’s no need to share a phone number again. --- ## Post 9 by @polyester_apricot650 — 2026-04-29T20:18:52Z The phone number requirement is really annoying and a compromise that I’ve made in order to use Signal. What Signal should really be spending its time on is coming up with an alternative to phone numbers while still preventing spam and other nefarious activities. Getting a landline or a mobile number requires KYC in most countries. --- ## Post 10 by @polyester_apricot650 — 2026-04-29T20:21:52Z I agree. The spam excuse, while legitimate, sort of goes against Signal’s stated goal. Most countries require KYC to get a number. Also, a phone number is rented, as you say. There has to be a better way that enhances privacy and security. I feel like Signal has wasted time and resources on stupid ideas like stickers. --- ## Post 11 by @polyester_apricot650 — 2026-04-29T20:24:04Z Couldn’t agree more. I would leave Signal if a better alternative popped up. The phone number requirement is really annoying and actually makes me feel less private and safe. --- ## Post 12 by @anonymous595 — 2026-04-29T20:27:47Z They can build-in a POW anti-spam mechanism. It will be extremely difficult to create many accounts. --- ## Post 13 by @polyester_apricot650 — 2026-04-29T20:31:28Z Really can’t read Signal’s excuses anymore. --- ## Post 14 by @seize — 2026-04-29T20:33:32Z I do agree that the phone number requirement is annoying, though I would also like to say that thanks to those “stupid ideas” like stickers and stories I’ve actually had wider success in getting non technical acquaintances to adopt Signal. As @Expert4870 said: > I do admit it was a good idea for Signal require a phone number for the contact-based network effect. But once you’ve completed moving your contact list onto Signal, there’s no need to share a phone number again. Unfortunately I don’t think spam prevention _really_ works if you let the spammers on to begin with, thus the KYC adjacent phone number requirement. Back to the topic at hand, it would be very nice to be able to have a Desktop Signal app which is decoupled from a Signal app on my phone. That way I could for example, have two Signal accounts and not need two instances of Signal installed on my phone. --- ## Post 15 by @PurpleDime — 2026-04-29T20:54:23Z Fair point. > [@anonymous595](#): > > So no big changes, just “cosmetic” patch. I disagree that it is just cosmetic. Telegram doesn’t require that you verify your phone number when you use the desktop app for the first time. As long as you are logged in on other devices, including other desktop devices, Telegram will let you confirm you are the account owner without verifying your phone number. That’s because they also send the code to Telegram on all your other linked devices. Signal doesn’t work that way. Signal always requires that you have your phone, i.e., you primary device, in order to sign in to your account on desktop. Specifically, they require that you use the Signal phone app to confirm the link to your desktop device. I understand that this announcement is not enough for you, which is fair, but’s it’s still a significant change compared to how Signal desktop currently works. > [@anonymous595](#): > > Phone number are evil. You don’t own them (just renting from isp). Cellular connection are extremely easy to track (IMEI, IMSI, possible backdoors in modem proprietary firmware). Any number can be lost, people can move. It is extremely inconvenient to update them everywhere. Your criticisms are valid. One of my biggest regrets is updating my phone number on my Google account when I moved cities. I wish I had left it with the old number which someone else would have owned by that point. However, that would have still been risky. > [@anonymous595](#): > > Phone numbers costs money. True. For those of us who are lucky enough to live in countries where KYC is not required to use a SIM or know people who live in those countries, I am not sure that it is possible to maintain an online account after registration, if you eventually lose the number. I created a Telegram account with a virtual American number that I lost access to years ago, because I only paid to have access to it for a week or a month. That number either doesn’t exist anymore or is frequently being recycled. And yet, I’m still able to maintain my Telegram account after all these years, in part because Telegram also sends verification codes via their app to devices where you are already logged in. But even if Signal did that, the risk of losing your account is still ever present. **I wonder if Signal would still require phone numbers if most countries did not require ID registration to buy or use a SIM?** > [@Expert4870](#): > > I think the real way to prevent spam and phishing is to push hard on usernames. **What do you mean by this? Signal already allows usernames, what would pushing hard mean? Forcing new users to create one when you sign up?** WhatsApp has yet to allow usernames despite announcing it a long time ago. I don’t know if Signal does much advertising, but one way to encourage people to use them is to make ads about dating. It’s very common for women who have reservations about giving their phone numbers to give their social media handles instead. Encouraging young people to use Signal username could make a difference. However, I understand that in the context of dating, some people want to be able to see other people’s social media profiles before accepting a date. Even if they can already see your pictures on a dating app, your IG profile probably reveals more about you. I would not be surprised if in 2026 not being on social media would be seen as a red flag for any potential first dates. > [@polyester_apricot650](#): > > What Signal should really be spending its time on is coming up with an alternative to phone numbers while still preventing spam and other nefarious activities. Exactly this. I would not be surprised if they are working on it, but haven’t found a solution yet. It doesn’t appear to be an easy problem to solve. --- ## Post 16 by @ZenByte — 2026-04-30T00:19:32Z This is actually really huge for a lot of people. This opens the door to two groups of users: - Those without a smartphone or those who choose to not have a smartphone. - Potential Linux phone users. So many arguments against dumbphones is that you would lose access to Signal. At least these people would still have proper access to Signal, just on their schedule, which is exactly what many of them crave. --- ## Post 17 by @PurpleDime — 2026-04-30T01:03:56Z > [@ZenByte](#): > > So many arguments against dumbphones **Can’t Signal already be used with dumb phones? What I mean is, does phone number verification for a Signal account require that your SIM car be in the phone where Signal is installed?** I ask this because I once tried to sign up to Signal on a phone with no SIM, while the phone number I was trying to register was in a different phone. It didn’t work, and I found that weird. **Can messaging apps read if your SIM card is in the phone have the app installed in?** I think its stupid to require SIM cards to be in the phone you are registering a Signal account with. **Why does it matter if it’s in another phone, if the phone number is not linked to any Signal account?** It doesn’t make sense to me. My point is, when it comes to signing up to Signal a smartphone, you should be able to register an account with a number that is inside a dumb phone. Hell, I should be able to register an account if the phone and SIM card are in different countries. As long as the person who has the SIM sends me the code, it should work. --- ## Post 18 by @Julie — 2026-04-30T01:49:08Z My signal use a voip number, it worked fine for me. --- ## Post 19 by @seize — 2026-04-30T02:03:10Z Yeah, actually after writing that initial reply I remembered I have Signal tied to a VoIP number as well. :sweat_smile: _(I don’t use that account much so that’s why I forgot)_ --- ## Post 20 by @PurpleDime — 2026-04-30T08:30:29Z > [@Julie](#): > > My signal use a voip number, it worked fine for me. > [@seize](#): > > Yeah, actually after writing that initial reply I remembered I have Signal tied to a VoIP number as well. :sweat_smile: I did not know that was possible. Are VoIP numbers exclusive to the US? It’s my understanding things like Google Voice are exclusive to the US? And if it’s not, I would imagine that you would need to have constant control of your VoIP number if you don’t want to lose your Signal account. --- ## Post 21 by @seize — 2026-04-30T08:46:49Z I don’t have much to add here, though as far as I know, _partially from reading the topic thread I’ll link below_ (which I suggest you give a look) there are VoIP options for use with Signal that work outside of the USA. In my case, yes I have retained control of the VoIP number which is tied to a Signal account. Reference: - [VoIP service recommendations](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/voip-service-recommendations/13257) --- ## Post 22 by @marcos-morar43 — 2026-04-30T10:36:53Z > [@PurpleDime](#): > > I wonder if they’ll support VoIP numbers eventually? They do! I’ve been using Signal with a VoIP number on Signal-CLI without any smartphone for around two years, and I know at least 50 other people who are doing the same --- ## Post 23 by @polyester_apricot650 — 2026-04-30T10:56:07Z Google Voice is only available in the US. --- ## Post 24 by @Julie — 2026-04-30T12:16:18Z I did not used google voice. I use a canadian voip number. Not a great solution as privacy goes tho. I have 2 lifetime hushed (canadian numbers) that I use on another android device. This android phone has a VPN and only the hushed app installed through aurora store. --- ## Post 25 by @PurpleDime — 2026-04-30T15:07:48Z > [@Julie](#): > > I have 2 lifetime hushed (canadian numbers) that I use on another android device. **Hushed works with Signal?!** This is news to me. I used Hushed to create my anonymous Telegram account, but it was my understanding that it didn’t work for WhatsApp, Signal, or most online services that require a phone number. I don’t like the idea paying monthly fees indefinitely to keep a number I only use for verification. I didn’t even know Hushed has lifetime numbers. **Do they still offer them? How much did you pay for yours?** --- ## Post 26 by @Regime6045 — 2026-04-30T16:57:22Z Very nice, that would mean Signal will be working on GNU/Linux phones as well (they can run the Desktop app and receive SMS) --- ## Post 27 by @Julie — 2026-05-01T01:28:47Z I have 2 that I only paid 20$ each, no futher cost ! They no longer offer them directly, but it is offered on stacksocial (starting at 25$) In order to remain active for lifetime, the fined print stated that it must be used every 6 months or more. > **[Set Up a Secure Second Phone Number, Keep Your Real Contact Details Hidden &...](https://www.stacksocial.com/sales/hushed-private-phone-1-line-plan-2500-mins-12500-sms)** > > Use this Hushed Private Phone Line deal to set up a secure second phone number while keeping your real contact details hidden. Hushed is on sale. --- ## Post 28 by @PurpleDime — 2026-05-01T10:43:36Z > [@Julie](#): > > I have 2 that I only paid 20$ each, no futher cost ! I can’t believe this. I have used Hushed for years, and never saw that they had lifetime plans. I’ve used it very sporadically, maybe 4 times in total in like 7 years, but still. > [@Julie](#): > > They no longer offer them directly, but it is offered on stacksocial (starting at 25$) Thank you. I had never heard of Stack Social before. **What is your experience with it? Is it trustworthy?** I am trying to select the cheapest option for $25, but it’s not working. > [@Julie](#): > > In order to remain active for lifetime, the fined print stated that it must be used every 6 months or more. Thanks for the heads up. --- ## Post 29 by @Julie — 2026-05-01T18:55:29Z Hushed lifetime orignal link: > **[Lifetime Phone Numbers](https://hushed.com/lifetime-phone-number)** > > For a limited-time only, Hushed offers Lifetime Phone numbers for privacy and anonymity. Get access to affordable Hushed plans here. I have used stacksocial before. They are only a thirds party portal. Some deals offered are dubious, like for example thoses lifetime VPN. I would suggest that you check before the last step for buying, for the actual seller name. If it’s from Hushed direcly, then you should be good. --- ## Post 30 by @PurpleDime — 2026-05-02T20:37:24Z I just realized, if Signal Desktop becomes a more stand-alone app rather than just an extension of the phone app, it would make it easier for them to allow payments via desktop rather than having to go through Google and Apple’s app store. Specifically, **it would make it easier for them to accept anonymous payments, the easiest one being selling gift cards in the Proxy Store and other privacy-friendly resellers like Cake Pay**.