> Signal's local encryption means there's no history sharing on new devices and essentially loss of the data should you ever lose the device/key
To be clear, Signal now allows secure backups to the cloud. If you don't use a strong password, and much as the public won't, it's not perfect but they maximize the security. (And you can always choose to not use the backup.)
Do they? On Android all it does is backup to another directory on my phone.
Hmmm ... looking around, isn't the following implemented?
https://signal.org/blog/secure-value-recovery/
(It's also relevant to the OP.)
SVR doesn't do full backups (yet?)
> To be clear, Signal now allows secure backups to the cloud.
No, it doesn’t, at least on iOS. There is no backup option on iOS. The only way to retain information when using a new device is to have the old device close by and transfer it by running Signal on both of them. Anyone who loses their device or does not have it with them when getting and setting up a new device will lose all the messages from the older/previous device.
Oh, does it work for desktop?