Enable Signal registration lock only after saving its PIN

Signal's PIN can help recover profile, settings, contacts and block list, and optional registration lock adds a barrier if someone tries to register the phone number elsewhere. The PIN is not a chat backup, SMS code or phone-screen passcode. Forgetting it while registration lock is active can delay your access.

Before you start​

Confirm you can access your Signal account now and have a protected place to store a distinct PIN. Do not send it to anyone claiming to be Signal support.

Do it step by step​

1. Open Signal Settings, Account and inspect the PIN and Registration Lock controls available on your device.
2. Set a unique PIN and save it in a password manager or another secure recovery method that survives phone loss. Test that you can retrieve the saved record.
3. Enable Registration Lock only after deciding that the additional takeover barrier outweighs the risk of a temporary lockout if you forget the PIN.
4. Review Signal's reminder prompt when it appears and confirm the PIN from memory or your secured record. Never enter it into a message from a person or bot.
5. Plan chat-history recovery separately through Signal's supported backup or transfer method. Record the different secret needed for any encrypted backup.

Check the result​

Registration Lock should show the intended state, and the PIN should be retrievable independently of the phone. Your backup plan should name a separate history-recovery route.

If something goes wrong​

If the PIN is lost with Registration Lock enabled, Signal may impose up to a seven-day inactivity wait. Support cannot simply reveal your PIN.

Know the limit​

The PIN protects a different asset from message history. It does not restore vanished chats, and changing the device passcode does not change the Signal PIN. Signal PIN and registration-lock guidance