Signal account recovery is different from most apps because there is no separate username and password. Your phone number is the account identifier, and your Signal PIN protects profile and registration data when you install again.
Does this affect you?
Use this for Signal on iPhone or Android if you changed phones, forgot the Signal PIN, enabled Registration Lock, or lost the phone number tied to the account.
New phone, same phone number
This is the simplest recovery path because the number still proves account ownership.
- Install Signal from the App Store or Google Play on the new phone.
- Open Signal and enter the same phone number used on the old device.
- Enter the SMS verification code when it arrives.
- If Signal asks for your PIN, enter it to restore profile details, settings, and PIN-protected account data.
- On Android, restore message history from a local encrypted backup if you created one before changing phones.
- If Secure Backups were enabled, use the saved recovery key during setup to restore backed-up history.
You forgot your Signal PIN
Signal cannot email a reset link because the PIN is designed so Signal cannot recover it for you.
- At the PIN screen, choose Forgot your PIN if it appears.
- If Registration Lock was not enabled, continue registration with the SMS code. You may lose PIN-protected profile data and settings, but you can use the number again.
- If Registration Lock was enabled, Signal requires the correct PIN to register the number immediately.
- Wait through the Registration Lock period if you cannot remember the PIN. After that period, you can register with the SMS code.
- Once back in, set a new PIN under Signal Settings > Account > Signal PIN.
You lost the phone number
Without the number, Signal has no automatic way to prove the old account belongs to you.
- Contact your mobile carrier first and ask whether the old number can be reactivated.
- If the carrier restores the number, register Signal again with that number and follow the new-phone steps.
- If the number has been permanently reassigned, create a new Signal account with a new number. The old account and message history cannot be recovered through Signal.
More control
The phone number is the key
Treat the registered phone number as the real recovery key for Signal. If you are changing carriers, switch Signal to the new number before the old line is canceled.
Save the PIN somewhere durable
The privacy benefit of Signal’s PIN is also why support cannot reset it. Use a memorable PIN or store it in a password manager.
Back up before you need it
On Android, Signal Settings > Chats > Chat Backups creates an encrypted local backup. Signal also offers end-to-end encrypted Secure Backups with a recovery key. Save that key outside the phone.
Understand Registration Lock
Registration Lock protects against someone hijacking your phone number, but it also creates a waiting period if you forget the PIN yourself. Enable it only after storing the PIN safely.
Sources
- Signal Support – Registering without your old device (2025)
- Signal Support – Signal PIN and Registration Lock (2025)
- Signal Support – Frequently Asked Questions (2025)