To protect your privacy, Signal has just rolled out a new update for its Windows app that stops the system from capturing screenshots of your chats. If you’re using Windows 11, this new “screen security” feature is switched on by default.
Why Signal added this feature
The update directly responds to Microsoft’s Recall tool, which has raised concerns among privacy-conscious users. Recall, announced last year, is designed to help you find past activity by continuously taking screenshots of what’s happening on your screen. This allows you to scroll back in time and review things you’ve seen or worked on.
However, many people were alarmed by the recording of their every move without clear protections. Microsoft paused the feature after a wave of backlash but started testing it again in April this year via the Windows Preview Channel. This time, Microsoft made Recall opt-in and included a way to pause it anytime.
Despite these changes, Signal says there’s still a risk. “The feature still captures content that may be sensitive,” the company explained. That’s why the screen security update is now in place — to give you more control over what gets saved or shared from your device.
How the screen security setting works
With screen security enabled, if you or anyone else tries to take a screenshot of the Signal app, the result will be a blank screen. This helps ensure that sensitive conversations remain private, even if Recall or other screenshot tools run in the background.
You’ll find this setting under Signal Settings > Privacy > Screen Security. It’s turned on automatically in the latest update, but you can if you need to switch it off for any reason. Just be aware that Signal has made an extra step: you’ll see a warning and must confirm before the setting is disabled. This is to stop you from turning it off by accident.
It’s important to note that some features, like screen readers, might not work correctly when the settings are enabled. So, if you rely on assistive technology, you may need to consider this before deciding whether to keep it on or off.
What Signal hopes this will change
Signal’s team hopes companies developing tools like Recall will think more carefully about privacy in the future. In a blog post, they said: “We hope that the AI teams building systems like Recall will think through these implications more carefully. Apps like Signal shouldn’t have to implement a ‘one weird trick’ to protect privacy and security because developer tools don’t support it.”
The update reflects Signal’s continued commitment to user privacy, even as big tech companies introduce features that can blur the lines between convenience and control. If you value private communication, this latest update is a clear step forward.
