Signal toils to make room for mass exodus from WhatsApp as new users report verification issues, OTP delays

Signal toils to make room for mass exodus from WhatsApp as new users report verification issues, OTP delays

The verification codes are currently getting delayed across several providers since a lot of new users are registering for the messaging service. Signal's team has said that the admins are working with the carriers to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Monday, January 11, 2021, 04:49 PM IST
article-image
Representational Image |

Signal, the cross-platform encrypted messaging service that's all in vogue right now for being the Facebook-owned WhatsApp's leading competitor, has climbed to the top spot in the free apps category of the App Store in multiple countries, including India.

However, as soon as Signal began to witness a spike in downloads, several users worldwide reported that they were witnessing several issues, -- including a delay in receiving the verification codes needed to register in for the messaging service, while several others oddly failed the human verification system.

The official Twitter handle of Signal itself acknowledged this and said that the verification codes are currently getting delayed across several providers since a lot of new users are registering for the messaging service. The admins are working with the carriers to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, it said.

Throughout January 7-9, Signal continued to fix issues with the verification system, working with the network carriers to ensure that people are able to register without delay again. The updates were constantly provided on Signal's official Twitter handle.

The 'human verification' system itself seems to have been patched out, as several other users reportedly did not receive it. For the uninitiated, the app sends you a six-digit OTP, following which you will have the option to set-up a numeric or an alpha-numeric PIN for logging into the service.

Signal has climbed to the top spot in the free apps category of the App Store and became the top downloaded app in multiple countries, including India, Germany, France, Austria, Finland, Hong Kong, and Switzerland.

The official Twitter handle of Signal on Saturday shared a screenshot, showing it placed above WhatsApp at the top spot in India. "Look what you have done," it tweeted.

Signal began to witness a spike in downloads after users worldwide started receiving popups, asking them to agree to its revised policies before February 8 or lose their account.

With Tesla CEO Elon Musk telling his followers to use encrypted messaging app Signal, shares of an obscure and unrelated company called Signal Advance surged a massive 1,100 per cent as some people bought that unrelated stock.

Encrypted messaging app Signal saw a significant surge in new users signing up for its platform after Musk, tweeted to his 41.5 million followers to use Signal and apparently shun WhatsApp.

The stock surged 527 per cent on Thursday and another 91 per cent on Friday, jumping from 60 cents to $7.19.

The store price of Signal Advance multiplied 12-fold in two days. Signal Advance is so small that it doesn't report financials with the US SEC, till this happened.

(With inputs from agencies)

RECENT STORIES