Signal is a free software messenger for mobile (Android and iOS) and desktop (Windows, GNU/Linux, macOS). In many privacy-oriented web pages you could find, Signal is recognized as a good alternative to WhatsApp. It is recommended by PrivacyTools.io, MyShadow.org, Sven Taylor’s RestorePrivacy.com (last checked 30 June 2018). What’s more awesome is it provides desktop application for Ubuntu GNU/Linux. This tutorial explains how to install (and also uninstall) Signal Desktop on Ubuntu.
1. Installation
1) Adding signal key:
$ wget https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt/keys.asc | sudo apt-key add –
2) Adding new repository:
$ echo “deb [arch=amd64] https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt xenial main” | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/signal-xenial.list
3) Reload APT to have new repository:
$ sudo apt-get update
4) Install Signal Desktop:
$ sudo apt-get install signal-desktop
2. Run Signal Desktop
Go to your menu and you should find Signal Desktop there. For first timer, it will look like this before you connect this Signal desktop on Ubuntu with Signal phone on your Android or iOS phone. If you don’t have Signal on your phone, install it first for Android or iOS.
Removing Signal
In case you want to uninstall Signal Desktop from your system, run removal command:
$ sudo apt-get remove signal-desktop
Read More About Signal
- Official Website
- Signal Help and Documentation Center
- Signal User Forum
- Signal Source Code (at Github)
- Myths About Signal by Benjamin