Signal is adding mentions, admins, and permission management for groups

If you value your privacy, chances are you’ve heard of or already use Signal. The popular chat app is an encrypted messaging service that’s widely used for secure messaging, but it’s not as feature-filled as some of the more popular messaging services out there, especially when it comes to group chats. Today, that’s changing, because Signal is finally getting user @ mentions, admins, and group permissions.

Whether you’re arranging a party or getting work done, Signal users can now set admins in a group chat. Admins have more control over removing members from groups, managing group permissions, and also setting other admins. They can also specify who can add new member to a group.

Admins can add and remove people from groups without a Signal server ever being aware of that group’s members, Signal explained earlier this year. The new system is designed in partnership with Microsoft Research where an app uses “anonymous credentials” for gatekeeping user entry into a group.

Signal users can also now take advantage of @mentions in groups. Simply type “@“ and you can then select a user from the picker. If someone mentions you, you’ll be able to quickly jump to that message using a new button that appears when you open the chat, Signal said in a blog post. If you want, you can configure the group notifications to only notify you when you’re mentioned.

Unfortunately, if you’re chatting in an existing Signal group, you can’t use these features just yet. The company said they’re only available in new groups — but they will come to existing groups in a future update. The company said you’ll get a notice if the group you’re about to create is going to be a New Group or Legacy Group, so you know what type of control you have.

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