Signal, the popular instant messaging application, appears to be down due to the sudden influx of people joining the Signal app. Signal has been gaining new users rapidly since the latest news on WhatsApp’s privacy policy came out and now the new users are experiencing issues globally.
A lot of users are unable to send messages. If you open Signal, you will see a red banner that told users that the app was having technical difficulties and the Signal deal is working to restore the services. Signal will be looking to rectify this issue quickly and hope that it doesn’t happen in the future.
How it started vs how it's going ? pic.twitter.com/ERiFpZUz6c
— Signal (@signalapp) January 14, 2021
Users flocking in to use Signal App
According to the recent figures collected by Sensor Tower, the Signal app was downloaded and installed by 17.8 million users in almost a week. The app is very popular on both Android and iOS platforms as it is the most downloaded apps on the iOS app store and Google Play Store.
Signal rose to fame thanks to public figures like Elon Musk and Edward Snowden giving this app their approval and making it prominent worldwide. Signal announced that it crossed 50 million downloads on Google Play Store on Thursday.
Signal quickly gained popularity as an alternative to WhatsApp
Signal, a privacy-focused messaging app quickly gained popularity as millions of users migrated from WhatsApp to Signal. The Signal app focuses on privacy and encryption, which is helping it attract users to this platform.
The sudden growth in Signal’s userbase comes at a time when WhatsApp is getting a ton of flak for its privacy policy changes. The sudden rise in the number of Signal users likely caused the servers to go down and users experience issues globally.
Many apps, including WhatsApp and Twitter, have faced such issues occasionally. While many users are unhappy with the Signal servers going down, Signal officials have stated on Twitter that they are doing their best to quickly resolve this issue quickly and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Signal is experiencing technical difficulties. We are working hard to restore service as quickly as possible.
— Signal (@signalapp) January 15, 2021
Brain Acton, the co-founder of Signal Foundation recently stated that Signal is looking to hire new people for ramping up the development of this app. Currently, the Signal app is missing out on a lot of features and they are looking to improve the app drastically.