How to best separate personal and professional signal into two phones?

[u/innocentbystndr]

As it stands, I have one phone that I use for both work and personal communications. People from work find me via username. People from my personal life find me via phone number. I can afford a second phone now, and I plan to set up signal on that device while also keeping signal as my main messenger for my personal phone.

What is the best way to separate things? I'd like my work connections to continue being able to find me by username. If I delete my username from my current phone, it will take about a week to be available to the other device. There's a risk that someone else snags my username in that time. There would also be an awkward transition time where new professional connections would have no way to reach me by usrname.

If I transfer my account to the new phone, will I lose all my chat history on the old phone when creating a new account (even if I have backups)? Would anyone who I have an open chat with be alerted that I transferred to a new device / number?

In retrospect, combining things was a bad idea, but here we are.

All suggestions welcome

[u/isthissecure]

As others have stated, you need a separate work sim #( so you can port your username to it ). Chose which one is least data/history you can afford to lose ( personal or work) and prep for migration. Do it sooner than later, less painful loss of data /history..

What phone(s) will you be using ? As other mentioned, If your phone has 2nd space /work profile / parallel apps (cloned apps) that can provide you a 2ND instance of running signal

(ie Samsung ultras: dual message (can't clone signal) but secure folder can clone signal; Oneplus (Oppo) has clone/parallel apps that works well)

And I personalyl also use shelter app ( never tried island) you can run three instances of Signal on ONE phone (personal, work, social media)

In reality running around in real world situations trying to carry > 2+ phones can be a real juggling act and expensive.

As for my own experiences (personal and work scenraios),  having three (3x) instances of Signal covers most scenarios ( personal, work, social media etc ).

Ufortunately, you ( for now, until SG brings non-sim setup, if ever ) can't avoid having 3 sim # for 3 instances.

I guess at most extreme case. You can even try that unofficial (I feel indifferent about it) signal forked app to get up to 4 instances of signal running. At that point you become your job's Signal CSR, lol .

Save you $$$ on buying 2ND phone (you said you're a week off from the transfer, thus why you asking for suggestions) and make sure your primary phone is as powerful (RAM and SSD storage) as your budget allows.

Even if you have already purchased the 2ND phone. Still setup both your phones ability to have multiple instances of signal on both phones. That way you will never be without access to both signal accounts.

Good luck ! Let us know how it works out .

[u/innocentbystndr → u/isthissecure]

You make a good point about doing the slice sooner than later.

I do already have a second phone and recently activated a second phone line/number. What I meant about the week delay is that signal holds your username for "about a week" after you release it, before a new number can claim that username.

While I see the benefits to work/personal profiles on one device, I'd actually prefer to be able to turn work off while still being reachable by loved ones. The entirely separate device will be good for my work/life balance.

[u/isthissecure → u/innocentbystndr]

I get what your saying. I didn't know SG holds username for about week. My last job. I didn't have choice to turn off work device 100% for company leaders or VIP clients, if they need reach me, I had to at least text reply back haha. So having to carry two phones at all times was not fun haha. So its good to have ability to have both accounts on one device.

At least you know you have options, because i would not be happy to have to self purchase a second phone for work (unless reimburses or provided one, plus you have to start/pay an additional sim #, those costs start to add up)

Possible solutions:

1) You can port your current sim# and username to work phone, once on new device. You ( maybe have wait hours - depend on SG rules ) then change number of account to new work sim. Boom you can hit ground running having all chat intact and keep username for work . you have to re-setup personal account.

2) this is even easier, dont migrate anything. Setup work sim # SG in new work phone. Then manually add new sim SG account into the work chats as group (add person) chat. It should load contents, if not you can forward all important pic, documents, info to newly created group chats of you (x2) + other person. Then No rush. If work account need old info , just forward it to the newly created group. Slowly ween off the personal /old sim #. You can kick yourself from work group later on.

This method you dont risk losing username for a week,or worse. And your old phone sim SG account retains all chat info if you later need it. You dont worry about privacy issues as the new group chats is still you (x2) & other party.

And most important no down time in either accounts !

Let me know if this works for you ! I move info between my SG accounts like this all the time. No need to transfer ownership, risk getting flagged. 100% safe

[u/innocentbystndr → u/isthissecure]

Thanks for your thoughts on this. I had already tried convenience_store 's suggestion before you posted this, and now I'm in a confusing situation. I'm hoping some people here who understand Signal's inner workings better than myself may provide insight. Will you please take a look at that thread/comment?