Signal, the secure messenger, finally joins the Arm64 club for Windows 11

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The popular and secure messaging Windows 11 app just received an update that brings support for Snapdragon X processors based on ARM.

In this photo illustration a Signal app seen displayed on a smartphone with the Signal logo in the background.
The famed super secure Signal app now supports Arm64 processors, like the ones form Qualcomm, in Windows 11 PCs. (Image credit: Getty Images | SOPA)

What you need to know

  • Signal messenger has been updated to v7.34.0 today.
  • The update fixed a theme bug but, more importantly, brings support for Windows on Arm devices running Qualcomm processors.
  • While Signal was able to run under x86 emulation, the new update should significantly enhance the encrypted messenger app's speed and responsiveness.

Following Google Drive's footsteps for desktops, Signal Messenger brings Arm support for Windows Arm devices, and it's now available to download.

Spotted by reporter Simon Bisson on Bluesky, Signal Messenger version 7.34.0 rolls out today, November 20th, with its support for Arm64 processors like the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite processors (it should also work on older Snapdragon processors for Windows, too).

Signal Messenger, a cost-free, open-source messaging application, is renowned for its unwavering dedication to privacy and security. Providing end-to-end encryption across text messages, voice calls, video calls, and file exchanges, Signal guarantees exclusive access for the designated recipients. Developed by the non-profit Signal Foundation, the app is accessible on Android, iOS, and desktop platforms.

Screenshot from the Signal app for Windows 11 reveals the app changelog and support for Arm64 Windows laptops. (Image credit: Future | Daniel Rubino)

Unlike some other popular messengers, Signal does not collect user data or display ads. It’s also open source, allowing other developers to review the code to ensure there are no backdoors or security holes ripe for exploitation.

While not as popular as other messenger apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, Signal is used heavily by journalists to contact sources who wish to cover their tracks and remain anonymous.

Signal is just one of many mainstream apps that recently received native Arm64 support for Windows. This means people running newer Qualcomm Snapdragon X-based PCs like Surface Pro 11 (see our best Copilot+ PCs for more that we recommend) can enjoy the full performance benefits brought by the optimized code. While many x86-64 apps can run under Arm emulation (using Windows Prism), their performance won’t be as good as natively coded ones built with Arm64 libraries.

Other recent Windows apps to get Arm support include Telegram, Vivaldi browser, Davinci Resolve, Adobe Illustrator, and Slack, which signals impressive momentum behind Microsoft and its partners' ARM platform shift.

For even more, see our list of the best Windows on Arm apps.

In related news, Microsoft made an ISO package for Windows 11 for Arm64-based PCs finally available to download and Google also recently announced that its Quick Share file-sharing app is headed to Windows on Arm.

Users can download the Windows install for Signal here, which includes the new libraries for Arm64.

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Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.