Signal is grabbing a couple of features from other messengers to make itself better on Android, and it’s not that bad.
We see the privacy-focused platform adding a dedicated comment section for specific messages in a chat, while also introducing a chatbot to inform users about new feature releases. Both these are being tested in the beta channel, with general users getting them gradually.
Dedicated Replies Section and a Chatbot
Signal is all known for its privacy and security features, but it’s also a competitive instant messenger that’s adding features that entice the community. In this pursuit, the platform announced a new addition today, that clears out a mess in the chat.
It’s a dedicated section to view all the replies made to a specific message in the chat, making it easy for users to view all related messages in one place. This is more helpful in a group chat, where several people respond to a specific message often – making it a mess ultimately.
Planning your pizza order for movie night but forgot how many people want pepperoni versus veggie? If you're using Android, you can now tap the speech bubble icon next to a message to pull up all replies to that message and never lose the thread (or under-order on toppings)! pic.twitter.com/fx3ESyNm6b
— Signal (@signalapp) July 7, 2022
Since it makes it hard for those scooping for all the responses in a thread format, Signal added a dedicated section to view all of them in one specific place. Users can click on the new button appearing right next to the original message in a chat, to view all the replies made to it.
Well, this isn’t new but has already been available on other platforms for quite a time. Apple’s iMessage and the professional communication platform – Slack is having this support for years.
Unfortunately, users can only view the replies in the new section for now. May the ability to push messages to this thread format arrive later. Aside from this, Signal is also adding a new chatbot to inform you about the new features added to the platform on every update.
Signal releases have entered the chat! Or, more accurately, created the chat. Say hi to the Signal release chat for Android users where we'll announce new features & improvements.
It’s muted by default. If you prefer not to see it, you can block the chat & we won't be offended. pic.twitter.com/H2aQP2GLXs
— Signal (@signalapp) July 7, 2022
This is similar to Telegram’s chatbot, which describes all the new additions at a glance. This appears as a regular chat icon in your feed and remains silent by default. And if it’s still disturbing you, you can block or even delete the chatbot for your convenience.