Signal has added an easy way for users to report and block spam messages directly from their screens , with just one click.
See also: Signal fixes bug that sent random images to the wrong contacts
Report and block spam
While users could already block such requests and delete them, Signal has now changed the block dialog to include a “Report Spam and Block” option for reporting spam.
" To help eliminate spam across our network, we've added the ability for recipients to report an unwanted incoming message. When you block a user from the message request screen, you can also report the message as spam ," Signal said
When you click “Report Spam and Block,” your device will send both the sender’s phone number and a message ID to Signal’s servers.
See also: Facebook blocks Signal's advertising Instagram account
If the same phone number is mentioned multiple times or shows signs of being used as a platform for automated spam, Signal will request a “proof of humanity” that will block additional messages from being sent until a check (e.g., a CAPTCHA) is completed by the sender.
This approach to dealing with potential spammers allows the app to slow them down while keeping messages clean for regular users.
These changes couldn't have come at a better time, following the huge influx of millions of new users this month, who joined Signal following Facebook's massive outage in early October.
Signal also said it faced its own problems in the wake of Facebook's 6-hour global outage, after its users participated in a massive raid on its Signal and Telegram platforms.
See also: Cybercriminals are leaving the dark web and "moving" to Telegram
"Signal signups are up," Signal's social media team tweeted as Facebook dealt with its October 4th outage.
Currently, Signal has more than 50 million installs on Android devices and over 426,000 reviews on the Apple App Store.
Pavel Durov, CEO and founder of Telegram, added that more than 70 million users joined in one day due to Facebook's outage.
