Mobile messaging app Signal has faced technical troubles resulting into bad customer experience due to delay in sending messages.
Signal said on Saturday that it was still working to bring additional capacity online to handle peak traffic levels.

The problem started late Friday and the company acknowledged it may be due to technical difficulties.

Signal allows for secure and encrypted video, voice and text communication, but users were unable to send any messages.

Signal said it has added new servers and extra capacity at a record pace every single day this week. But its capacity was not adequate to address customer demand on its platform. “Millions upon millions of new users are sending a message that privacy matters. We appreciate your patience,” Signal said in a series of tweets.

As WhatsApp started sending notifications to its users asking them to either accept its new policy or see their accounts removed from February 8, it came as a blessing in disguise for its rivals as Signal as it saw a massive flow of new users.

The rush led to extra burden on Signal servers.

“We are making progress towards getting the service back online. Privacy is our top priority, but adding capacity is a close second right now,” Signal said. “We are still working as quickly as possible to bring additional capacity online to handle peak traffic levels.”

The encrypted messaging service has climbed to the top spot in the free apps category of the App Store several countries, including India.

Along with another encrypted app, Telegram, Signal has been the main beneficiary of online outrage around the policy changes announced by WhatsApp last week. Telegram said on Wednesday it had surpassed 500 million active users globally.

“We have been adding new servers and extra capacity at a record pace every single day this week, but today exceeded even our most optimistic projections,” said Aruna Harder, chief operating officer of Signal Messenger.

Currently, more than 1,300 users are still facing issues, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.

The non-profit Signal Foundation based in Silicon Valley, which currently oversees the app, was launched in February 2018 with Brian Acton, who co-founded WhatsApp before selling it to Facebook, providing initial funding of $50 million.

Signal was downloaded by 17.8 million users over the past seven days, a 62-fold rise from the prior week, according to data from Sensor Tower. WhatsApp was downloaded by 10.6 million users during the same period, a 17 percent decline.