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Check How to Install Signal Desktop on Linux
Signal is a free, cross-platform messaging service that uses end-to-end encryption to provide a secure platform for exchanging encrypted text, media, and calls. If you are a Signal user or want to try the app, you must install Signal Desktop on your computer to access conversations from the Signal app on your smartphone or switch between them on your smartphone and desktop as needed. Signal Desktop is a desktop client for the popular Signal private messaging service. It’s available for all major operating systems, including macOS, Linux, and Windows, and works by pairing with the Signal Mobile app.
When it launched, Signal Desktop was essentially a Chrome app that could only be linked to the Android Signal app. However, a few years later, it was eventually superseded by a standalone desktop client (based on the Electron framework) that supports linking to Android and iOS apps. Speaking of features, Signal Desktop offers pretty much the same features as the Signal mobile app, including all the privacy features. So you can exchange text (and media) and make audio/video calls right from your desktop. Signal Desktop is available for all major Linux distributions like Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora, Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Manjaro, etc.
How to install Signal Desktop on Linux
Signal Desktop is available for all major Linux distributions like Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora, Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Manjaro, etc. However, before you dive into the installation process, there is one requirement: you must have the Signal app set up. and running on your smartphone, as you can use it to set up the desktop client on your Linux computer.
If you’re already a Signal user, you likely already have the app on your Android or iOS device. However, if you are new to Signal, you will need to download it to your mobile phone and set up an account with your phone number. Once this is done, you are ready to install Signal Desktop on your Linux machine.
Install Signal on Debian-based distributions
Let’s start with APT as it is the package manager of choice for most people and comes pre-installed on all major Linux distributions. If you are running any of the following distributions: Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and the like, you can install Signal Desktop using APT.
- First, get the GPG keys using wget to safely download the Signal Desktop app:
- wget -OR- https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt/keys.asc | sudo apt-key add –
- Now add the Signal repository to your system:
- echo “deb [arch=amd64] https://updates.signal.org/desktop/apt xenial main” | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/signal-xenial.list
- Update your system’s package list and download the Signal Desktop client:
- sudo apt update
- sudo apt install signal-desktop
- On the other hand, if you are on Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch Linux, Manjaro, or CentOS/RHEL and have the Snap package manager installed on your system, you can install Signal Desktop with a single command:
- Sudo Snap Install Signal-Desktop
Install Signal Desktop on Fedora
- If you’re using Fedora, you can install Signal via Flatpak by running:
- flatpak install flathub org.signal.Signal
On Arch-based distributions
In case you are using Arch based Linux distributions, you can download Signal Desktop from AUR (Arch User Repository) using yay:
-
- sudo yay -Ss signal-desktop
How to configure Signal Desktop
With Signal Desktop installed on your computer, you now need to set it up. For this, all you have to do is pair it with the Signal app on your smartphone.
- First, launch the Signal Desktop client on your computer. You will see a QR code on your screen immediately.
- Open the Signal app on your Android or iOS device to scan this code.
- To do that, click the app’s menu button and select Settings. Here, tap Paired Devices and hit the Plus (+) button to add a new device. On iOS, you will need to click Link New Device.
- When the QR code scanner appears, point your device’s camera at the QR code displayed in the Signal Desktop app.
- Once this is done, the Signal mobile app will ask you for a device pairing confirmation. Click Link New Device to approve the link.
- Now, you need to name your new device. In Signal Desktop, type a name and press the Finish Phone Pairing button to complete the process. This name will be displayed in the Paired Devices section in the Signal mobile app.
- Signal Desktop will start syncing all your contacts and groups from the smartphone app. However, it won’t sync your existing messages on the Signal mobile app: you’ll only see messages that arrive after you’ve installed the desktop client.
- Once the sync is complete, you should have Signal Desktop running on your Linux computer with access to all of Signal’s functionality.
Final remarks: How to Install Signal Desktop on Linux
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