Can I use Signal without a phone number in 2026?

Signal added usernames in 2024, which means your contacts can find you without seeing your phone number. The number is still required at registration — Signal binds to a SIM at signup, and that has not changed. Workarounds: use a no-KYC eSIM (Silent.link) or a number-leasing service (JMP.chat, Crypton.sh) to receive the registration SMS, then never reveal that number to contacts. For threat models that exclude any phone-derived identifier even at registration, the alternatives are SimpleX (architecturally identifier-less — no phone, no email, no username globally visible) or Session (random Session ID, no phone). SimpleX is the cleanest design; Session has the more conventional UX.