Messaging app Signal witnessed a meteoric rise in downloads after Facebook-owned WhatsApp updated its privacy terms, sparking privacy concerns from users.
The app, which was also endorsed by billionaire Elon Musk, was downloaded almost 7.5 million times globally through the Apple App Store and Google Play store between January 6 and January 10, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. This was a record for weekly - or even monthly - installs for Signal in its history.
So what is Signal and how does it differ to other messaging apps?
What is Signal?
Signal is an independent, non-profit encrypted messaging service.
It was first rolled out in July 2014 by American entrepreneur and computer security researcher Moxie Marlinspike but was later hosted by the non-profit Signal Foundation launched in February 2018.
Signal is an open-sourced application where any user can check its software code to ensure there is no interference by any third-party company in the background and users’ confidential data is safe.
“There are no ads, no affiliate marketers, and no creepy tracking in Signal ... so focus on sharing the moments that matter with the people who matter to you,” Signal says on its website.
Who is behind Signal?
WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton and former Twitter executive Mr Marlinspike launched the Signal Foundation in 2018 with Mr Acton pumping in initial funding of $50 million.
A computer science graduate from Stanford University, Mr Acton founded WhatsApp in November 2009 with his friend Jan Koum after stints at Apple, Yahoo and Adobe. The messaging app was later acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $19 billion. Mr Acton left Facebook in 2017 after he was reportedly pressurised to monetise the service.
How is it financed?
Signal is financed through grants and donations, starting from a minimum of $3, offered by its users and privacy advocates globally.
“We are not tied to any major tech companies, and we can never be acquired by one either ... development is supported by grants and donations from people like you,” Signal says on its website.
How many users does it have?
About 810,000 users worldwide downloaded Signal on Sunday, an almost 18-fold increase compared with the downloads on January 6, according to research firm Apptopia.
WhatsApp was installed by almost 1.2 million users on Sunday, down by nearly 7 per cent in daily installs compared with January 6 numbers.
How does Signal work?
After downloading Signal from the app stores, users can set it up by adding their mobile number, entering the one-time-password, name and other basic details.
Users can also create groups similar to those in WhatsApp by tapping on three dots on the top right corner of the app. They need to manually add at least one member to make it functional. Then go to the group settings and tap on ‘group link’ to get an invite link.
This link can be shared with contacts on other platforms such as WhatsApp. Though it is an easier way to inform friends and family about Signal, it cannot import chats from other platforms.
Signal's policy becoming industry standard
WhatsApp’s new privacy policy is being met with criticism since the social networking app is asking its users to share personal information with its parent company – Facebook – or have their accounts deactivated.
However, users have become increasingly privacy conscious over the few years, often opting for technology that is encrypted.
In November last year, Google announced it was rolling out a beta version of its Android messaging app that will depend on end-to-end encryption.
End-to-end encryption ensures that no one, including Google and third parties, can read the content of messages as they travel between your phone and the phone of the person you are messaging, the Alphabet-owned company said.
"I trust Signal because it’s well built, but more importantly, because of how it’s built: open source, peer reviewed, and funded entirely by grants and donations. A refreshing model for how critical services should be built,” Jack Dorsey, chief executive of Twitter and Square, said.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
