If you’re a computer user, you know that typing indicators can help you know when you’re on a secure page. For example, if you type “password” into a web browser, the indicator will show you how many characters are left in the password field. Typing “123456” will also show you how many characters are left in the password field. If you’re using a text editor such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat, then typing indicators can also help you know when your document is ready to be printed. If you type “pdf” into a web browser, for example, the indicator will show whether or not your document has been converted to PDF format.


Typing indicators allow you to see when someone you’re communicating with is typing a text message to you. If they’re a slow typer, though, you might end up sitting there watching the indicator bounce on your screen. Thankfully, you can turn typing indicators off in Signal.

The typing indicator in the Signal app, as seen below, consists of three moving dots inside of a bubble. When someone you’re chatting with is typing, the bubble will be present.

Begin by opening the “Signal” app on your iPhone or Android smartphone.

Next, tap on your avatar in the top-left corner. If you haven’t uploaded a custom profile picture, it might appear as your username’s initials.

Select the “Privacy” option from the list in the “Settings” menu.

Finally, toggle off “Typing Indicators.”

If you instead want to turn the feature back on, tap the toggle to enable the typing indicators.

As mentioned above, turning off typing indicators will disable the feature for both yourself and the person you’re communicating with. If they keep the setting enabled, they will see typing indicators in other chats, but not in conversations with you.

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