Nowadays, a majority of apps require you to sign up with your email or even worse your phone number. If you have a phone number attached to your name, meaning you went to a cell service/phone provider, and you gave them your ID, then no matter what app you use, no matter how private it says it is, it is not private. There is NO exception to this. Your identity is instantly tied to that account.
Signal is not private. I recommend Simplex or another peer to peer onion messaging app. They don’t require email or phone number. So as long as you protect your IP you are anonymous
You can also get a phone number in a number of ways without it being connected to your identity. You can use voip services or buy a phone and a SIM in cash. I still think this is a good think to point out for all the people who use signal or other services with a phone number directly connected to their identity.
I know telegram won’t accept voip numbers. I think I remember trying with signal as well with the same results. Clearly they attach enough importance to only having accounts with easily trackable devices like android and iphone devices that they are putting significant effort into blocking all other accounts.
You’d have to anonymously buy a preloaded sim and a burner droid phone to make the account. Its a lot less effort to use other more privacy friendly systems. Even more so if you’re making multiple temporary accounts, which is also an important part of reducing your trackability.
Depends where you live. I’m in Australia and phone companies aren’t allowed to activate a number without tying it to an ID. So criminals just use stolen IDs and regular people don’t get privacy. Also YMMV but virtually every service that needs phone verification won’t accept VoIP numbers anymore