By Signal has grown significantly in numbers in the past few weeks and now is one of the most popular messaging apps in many parts of the world, including India. However, the privacy-focused app lacks the features offered by rivals like WhatsApp and Telegram. In a bid to get more competitive on the features it offers, Signal is now testing new additions including animated stickers.
Signal had earlier announced that features like chat wallpapers are coming to the platform. Currently, the app offers no chat backgrounds and only a plain light/dark background behind your chats, based on what theme you’re using. Also promised was the introduction of animated stickers. Now, the two features are available on the app’s beta version.
As per a report by Android Police, Signal is currently offering 21 chat wallpapers to choose from, which include 12 solid colours and 9 gradient backgrounds. The app even lets you pick your own photo from files to turn it into a chat background.
The new Signal app has also added the ability to create an About section for users. Here, Signal users will be able to choose an Emoji and write out a short description about themselves should they choose to do so. This is similar to the About section on WhatsApp. A report by XDA suggests that Signal will allow users to set up multiple such description profiles and then easily switch between them.
For those using Signal’s iOS app, the app will soon be adding the option to automatically download media. This will let users auto-download images and videos as they are received. The app will also get full-screen profile picture support. Android users already have this feature. While the new additions are currently in beta, Signal should soon bring them to the stable apps once they are tested properly and any bugs are ironed out.
