Signal, the cross-platform encrypted messaging client Which rose to fame recently after the uproar caused by the privacy terms WhatsApp as a safe and secure alternative to instant messaging seems to get an interesting new feature to make it easier for users to migrate their conversations from an old device to a new device.
In the latest beta version of Android (version 5.5.1), the app brings a new option called "Account Transfer" found at the bottom of the Settings> Chats page that allows users to transfer their entire chat history to a new Android device using an end-to-end encrypted connection to a local Wi-Fi network.
This process is easy: after installing the Signal application on your new Android phone, open it and select "Transfer account" in the main app window, then give it the required permissions and select "Transfer from Android device" in the next screen. Signal will ask you to give it permissions to access your location so that can discover and connect to your old smartphone.
After that go to your old device and click on the "Transfer Account" in the Signal settings, allow the app to access your location on this device as well, and wait for a little while till the two devices got connected.
Once your old Android device detects your new one, you will see a prompt message on the new device screen asking you to accept the connection between the two devices, tap "Accept", and then a verification code will appear on both devices, make sure the code matches on both of your devices, then tap continue on both devices, and the transferring data process will begin.
Once the transfer is complete, switch to your new Android device, and complete the registration process using your phone number, and then you will find all your chats on your new smartphone or tablet.
As you can see, this new feature facilitates the process of migrating your account and your conversations to a new device, and it is better than the current method where you have to back up all your conversations to an external folder in your old phone and from there you transfer it manually to your new device and restore it manually as well During your registration in the application
