Products · Product
Signal
Raised as a usability problem by 378 people on Hacker News over 13 years (2014–2026), in 257 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
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- 5Messages take 10 to 30 minutes to arriveUnreviewed
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- 13Mobile app is slow to open conversationsUnreviewed
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Every issue, all time, most people first
Keeps nagging users to create a PIN they declineUnreviewed
20142026- Repeatedly prompts for a PIN to remember it, with no way to turn it off2022-08-30
- Mandatory PIN setup had such bad UX that users had to be given an opt-out2022-08-16
- Users were suddenly asked for a PIN without knowing why or what data was collected2022-01-29
Desktop app fails to sync, losing half of messagesUnreviewed
20142026- Desktop stops syncing if unused, losing conversation history from the interim2025-06-17
- Can't use more than one phone; desktop logs out after 30 days and loses messages2024-09-23
- Messages fail to sync across work PC, home PC, phone and tablet2024-02-21
Chat history is lost when switching between iOS and AndroidUnreviewed
20142026- Can't access chat history across devices, making it unusable2025-07-10
- Chat history is lost when switching between iOS and Android2025-06-21
- Migrating to a new phone fails with confusing 'too old' errors and the re-register flow crashes, blocking message history access2025-06-21
Reinstalling the app loses all messages with no backup optionUnreviewed
20142026- No easy way to restore previous messages on a new device2026-02-16
- Users lose all their messages because backup and restore is too annoying2026-01-25
- Users can't tell when or how to make backups, so they lose message history2025-09-08
Messages take 10 to 30 minutes to arriveUnreviewed
20142026- Messages arrive late, sometimes 1-30 minutes, so the user misses them2026-10-12
- Messages often fail to send until the app is jiggled, with no indication of whether it works2022-01-29
- Takes impossibly long to start with thousands of messages, so user stopped using it2021-03-12
Desktop app requires phone to stay connectedUnreviewed
20142026- Desktop app can't be used unless the phone app is installed first2026-04-10
- Can't use one account across personal and work phones; must use group workarounds2022-11-07
- Can't use the same account on an Android tablet at once, with no explanation given2021-09-22
Cannot mark a contact as never using Signal, so messages go to SMS or failUnreviewed
20142026- Contacts already on Signal not shown, messages can't be sent to them for days2026-10-31
- Signal silently took over texting, so messages from contacts stopped arriving as plain SMS after uninstalling2024-02-20
- Signal randomly stops letting user respond to messages, less reliable than SMS2023-11-16
Keeps re-prompting for notifications after users declineUnreviewed
20142026- Notification prompt makes it easy to accidentally enable notifications and weaken privacy2026-04-10
- Keeps nagging to enable notifications and cannot opt out of the prompts2026-04-10
- Keeps asking to turn on notifications despite user's strict settings; no permanent decline2025-06-17
Notifications rarely arrive, so missed messages show only when app openedUnreviewed
20142026- Endless notification hell for cross-platform connections, and friends found the app essentially unusable2021-12-02
- Outdated app silently stops delivering message notifications with no warning to the user2021-09-27
- Rarely gets notifications; missed messages only appear when the app is opened2021-09-27
Desktop app often asks to log in again on WindowsUnreviewed
20142026- Desktop app has no way to log out, unlike other chat apps2024-02-22
- Desktop app requires signing in again all the time and loses message history2023-11-16
- Desktop app often asks to log in again on the Windows PC2022-11-08
Deleting chats takes multiple steps with no way to select severalUnreviewed
20142026- Cleaning up media requires opening every chat and deleting files one by one2025-06-16
- Auto-delete applies to whole chats, so user can't delete only their own copies; manual cleanup is tedious2024-02-17
- Deleting old messages in big group chats is tedious; no bulk purge option exists2024-02-17
Keeps re-prompting to sync contacts after decliningUnreviewed
20142026- Prompts people to upload contacts and announces returning contacts, pushing unwanted connections2026-08-10
- Repeatedly prompts for contacts access with no clear way to decline except 'Not now'2024-04-17
- Declining contacts or notifications still leads to repeated reminders2022-07-27
Mobile app is slow to open conversationsUnreviewed
20142026- Signal's desktop app is poor, and its mobile app is slow to open conversations2019-01-25
- Signal's desktop app is poor and it lacks iPad support and no-backup restores lost messages2018-03-20
- Signal's iOS app has poor UX and works poorly with groups2017-09-19
Must long-press send to reach contacts who uninstalled SignalUnreviewed
20142026- Friends never open Signal, so group messages go unread and notifications fail2022-11-07
- Messages silently go to uninstalled contacts who never read them, forcing resends2022-10-13
- Senders aren't told when messages fail to deliver after recipient uninstalls Signal2022-08-02
Must provide a cell phone number to sign upUnreviewed
20142026- Requires a phone number to register, which is easy to lose2025-05-21
- Having to share phone number to use it is a major problem2021-06-26
- Forced to provide a cell phone number to sign up2018-04-03
Empty contact list forces adding numbers and finding people manuallyUnreviewed
20142026- Building a contact list without phone numbers is a major pain for users2022-10-07
- Shows an empty contact list, forcing users to add numbers and find people manually2021-01-07
- Non-phone-number identifiers need a whole new UI to add and find people, creating friction2018-10-30
Faint grey unsecure SMS label leaves users unsure if messages were encryptedUnreviewed
20142026- Can't tell when a message was sent as unencrypted SMS, and undelivered messages after uninstalls2022-10-12
- Faint grey 'unsecure SMS' label makes user unsure whether messages were encrypted2020-12-15
- Confusing which messages are secure and some messages invisible to certain people2020-06-07
Only one photo at a time, with messages delayed after network switchesUnreviewed
20142026- Saving many received photos requires tapping each one individually2023-03-13
- Could only send one photo at a time; messages delayed for minutes or hours after network switches2022-09-07
- Can only select multiple pictures one at a time, for years2022-04-01
Plain text export scrambles group messages into separate conversationsUnreviewed
20142026- Export duplicated every message as both SMS and MMS, a mess that took a while to fix2023-03-07
- Saving messages requires manually screenshotting or copy-pasting them one by one2021-05-11
- Exporting plain text backup scrambles group messages into individual conversations, ruining both2018-02-22
Messages are reordered out of their proper sequenceUnreviewed
20142026- Messages arrive late or out of order, appearing in the wrong sequence2020-07-11
- Lack of search makes finding messages in Signal hard2018-02-22
- Signal regularly reorders messages out of their proper sequence2016-11-23
Desktop app lacks basic features and migrating histories is messyUnreviewed
20142026- Desktop app doesn't transfer chat history, so the user has less usable experience than WhatsApp2024-09-04
- Chat app is buggy, slow, and lacking functionality compared to Keybase2020-05-08
- Desktop app is clunky, lacks basic features, and migrating conversation histories is messy2019-01-25
Can't find how to create groups; few messages visible on large screenUnreviewed
20142026- Hard to message people or join groups; can't find contacts or be found2021-01-16
- Only about 10 messages visible on large screen; can't find how to create groups2018-02-22
- Must create a group first to message several people at once2015-12-17
False device-changed warnings train users to ignore security alertsUnreviewed
20142026- App warnings treat users as idiots and make the app annoying to use2026-04-10
- Non-technical users click through key-change warnings without understanding them, so the warning is ineffective2021-01-17
- False device-changed warnings train users to ignore security alerts2019-11-02
Contact names cannot be set without contacts access, so users forget who they chat withUnreviewed
20142026- Revoking contacts permission hides names of unknown numbers, punishing the user2023-07-08
- Can't set display names for contacts unless contacts access is granted, so users forget who they're chatting with2020-06-05
- Unclear which contacts can be messaged or called; grayed-out names confuse users and calls fail2015-12-17
Conversations split between text messages app and Signal appUnreviewed
20142026- Conversation split between text messages app and Signal app2022-02-08
- Can only message Signal users from desktop app, forcing users to switch to another messenger for typing2020-02-14
- Signal on iPhone can't send or receive ordinary SMS, so users must check two apps2020-01-15
Messages go to one linked device, and resync takes 5-10 minutesUnreviewed
20142026- Linked devices take tens of minutes to catch up and fail to sync read status2021-04-29
- Messages or calls go only to one linked device; account forgets and needs 5-10 minute resync2021-01-08
- Only one phone and one computer can be linked; other devices disconnect the first2020-02-14
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Contacts already on Signal not shown, messages can't be sent to them for days2026-10-31
- Tapping the update notification does nothing, so user must manually re-download the APK2026-10-31
- Grandparent didn't know to press download icon to get photos2026-10-31
- Messages arrive late, sometimes 1-30 minutes, so the user misses them2026-10-12
- Prompts people to upload contacts and announces returning contacts, pushing unwanted connections2026-08-10
- Restoring messages to a new device requires SMS verification and changes safety numbers2026-07-27
- Group admins cannot remove harmful posts, so trolls' content stays visible to everyone2026-07-04
- Staff feature announcements look like chat messages, so users can't tell them from scam contacts2026-05-19
- App warnings treat users as idiots and make the app annoying to use2026-04-10
- Notification prompt makes it easy to accidentally enable notifications and weaken privacy2026-04-10
- Keeps nagging to enable notifications and cannot opt out of the prompts2026-04-10
- Users must find off-by-default settings to make deleted messages actually disappear, and even then iOS keeps them2026-04-10
- Desktop app can't be used unless the phone app is installed first2026-04-10
- No easy way to restore previous messages on a new device2026-02-16
- Can't find or match contacts because phone numbers aren't shared; names confusing in groups2026-02-10
- Signal works noticeably worse than Telegram in day-to-day user experience2026-02-09
- Users lose all their messages because backup and restore is too annoying2026-01-25
- Persistent nag dialog after changes drove users away from the app2026-01-23
- Desktop app unlinks often, forcing a QR re-scan and blocking history sync2025-11-29
- App looks ugly and clunky to the commenter2025-11-28
- Backup process is really shitty and hard to use2025-11-28
- Cannot use the app on more than one device; desktop app is subpar and history restore is limited2025-11-19
- CAPTCHA requirements during signup are off-putting and hard to get through2025-10-02
- Can't find a way to keep chats when reinstalling iPhone; pictures missing on desktop2025-09-10
- Groups hidden on phone still appear in desktop and search results, confusing users2025-09-08
- Desktop Signal won't show message history, and restore testing may disturb the main device2025-09-08
- Users can't tell when or how to make backups, so they lose message history2025-09-08
- Video calling requires deliberate effort to start, unlike FaceTime's one-tap button2025-08-20
- Writing long messages is far slower than on a normal keyboard setup2025-08-19
- Protected windows appear invisible over remote desktop, so the user cannot see the setting to disable it2025-07-23
- Desktop client was literally unusable when the commenter tested it years ago2025-07-19
- Can't access chat history across devices, making it unusable2025-07-10
- Signal pushes users into short PINs that are too weak to protect their data2025-07-01
- Chat history is lost when switching between iOS and Android2025-06-21
- Shared photos lose creation timestamps, so they can't be sorted into albums without manual work2025-06-21
- Migrating to a new phone fails with confusing 'too old' errors and the re-register flow crashes, blocking message history access2025-06-21
- Desktop stops syncing if unused, losing conversation history from the interim2025-06-17
- Sending media over slow connections keeps resending files repeatedly2025-06-17
- Keeps asking to turn on notifications despite user's strict settings; no permanent decline2025-06-17
- Cleaning up media requires opening every chat and deleting files one by one2025-06-16
- Requires a phone number to register, which is easy to lose2025-05-21
- Emoji reaction picker renders so slowly that users click blindly where it will appear2025-05-13
- Update banner is always prominent and cannot be turned off, cluttering the chat list2025-03-14
- Scanning a QR code links a device with a warning that is confusing and easy to misread2025-02-19
- Scanning a group invite code can silently link a different device without clear confirmation2025-02-19
- No right-click menu for conversations in the desktop client2025-01-22
- Right-click, hover and chat bubble menus are confusing; actions are hard to find2025-01-22
- Can't find the auto-download setting on the desktop app2025-01-21
- Keeps repeatedly prompting to enable notifications despite the user declining2024-12-11
- Past messages don't load on new devices, which is annoying2024-09-29