For: everyone
Link your Signal account once, and your Signal chats appear in Element as rooms. Element becomes a linked device of your Signal account, like Signal Desktop.
Before you start
- You need Signal installed and working on your phone.
- Open Element on a computer if you can. The bot shows a QR code that your phone has to scan, which is easiest on a second screen.
- Keep the QR code window open: the code is only valid for a short time.
Link Signal
- In Element, start a direct chat with
@signalbot:<your server>. Your server address is on your dashboard under Your Matrix login → Server. - Send the message
login. - Follow the bot's reply. It shows a QR code in the chat.
- On your phone, open Signal and go to Settings.
- Tap Linked devices.
- Tap the + button to link a new device.
- Point the phone at the QR code in Element.
- If Signal asks whether to transfer your message history, choose what you prefer.
The bot confirms when the link works. Your chats then start to appear in Element as rooms.
Good to know
- Keep Signal on your phone. The phone stays your main Signal device. Open Signal on the phone now and then so the link stays active.
- Names instead of numbers: if your chats show phone numbers, connect your Google Contacts.
- Unlink: send
logouttosignalbot. You can also remove the device in Signal under Linked devices.
If something goes wrong
- The QR code expired: send
loginagain to get a new one. - The bot doesn't answer: check that you typed the full bot address, and look at the bridge status in the portal under Settings → Bridges.
- Messages stopped arriving: see A bridge stopped working.