Security News > 2020 > May > Signal secure messaging can now identify you without a phone number
We've never bothered with Signal for the reason that signing up means handing over your phone number.
As we mentioned you don't need to use a PIN to secure your Signal account - you can just use your phone number alone, as before, or choose a proper pass-phrase that's as long as you like.
The disappointing news here, at least in our opinion, is that Signal isn't yet announcing a way to use its product without handing over a phone number at all.
You still can't use the laptop versions of the app without setting Signal up on your phone first, and you can't set it up on your phone without handing over a real, live phone number right at the start of the installation.
As Signal itself says, PINs aren't a replacement for phone numbers but they do provide a safer way to recover your account in an emergency than a phone number alone.