The encrypted messaging app Signal now makes it easy to migrate account data, including archived chats, from one iPhone to another.

Previously, iOS users had to start all over again when migrating to a new phone; Signal creates accounts based on phone numbers, but all user data is securely stored on the phone.

In a blog post

the company noted that Android Signal users were able to get around this limitation by manually moving data from one phone to another in the form of password-protected encrypted backup files. In iOS, however, according to Signal's Nora Trapp (aka Imperiopolis), "the concept of a 'file system' is still a foreign language to many iOS users."

Therefore, iOS data transfer works by displaying a QR code in the Signal app on the old iPhone and the Signal app on the new iPhone reads it. (Google's Authenticator app transfers account data in a similar manner.

"The QR code itself contains no sensitive information," Trapp wrote on Signal's blog." If someone else is in the same room, racing to jump over a table or scan it first, the worst-case scenario is that they could start transferring their data to a new device before you do."

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Complete data transfer instructions are on this Signal page, along with instructions for moving data between Android devices and between desktops.

"The new device will verify the integrity of the transferred data," Trapp added." If any errors are detected (e.g., if the phone is too far away and the connection is lost), the process is simply aborted and can be retried later."

"The process can be repeated at a later time.

Once the transfer is complete, the old phone's Signal account is deactivated and user data is deleted from that device.

Last week, Signal announced that it is working on a new feature that will automatically blur faces in photos shared with other Signal users.