Signal – Tech | Business | Economy https://techeconomy.ng Tech | Business | Economy Tue, 16 Dec 2025 10:41:16 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://techeconomy.ng/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/cropped-256Px-32x32.png Signal – Tech | Business | Economy https://techeconomy.ng 32 32 Soverli Raises $2.6M Pre-Seed to Bring Secure, Convenient Digital Freedom to Every Smartphone https://techeconomy.ng/soverli-sovereign-smartphone-os/ https://techeconomy.ng/soverli-sovereign-smartphone-os/#respond Tue, 16 Dec 2025 10:41:16 +0000 https://techeconomy.ng/?p=172746 Soverli, a cybersecurity spin-off from ETH Zurich, has raised $2.6 million in pre-seed funding to launch a sovereign operating system layer that works on any commercial smartphone without replacing Android or iOS.

The funding round was led by Founderful, with contributions from the ETH Zurich Foundation, Venture Kick, and prominent cybersecurity experts. 

The company aims to give governments, enterprises, and individuals adequate management over smartphones, turning everyday devices into auditable, secure infrastructure.

Smartphones are one of the last digital sovereignty frontiers. Today, Android and iOS top the market, yet they are essentially black boxes. 

A single faulty update or hidden vulnerability can disrupt millions of users. Soverli addresses this by allowing multiple operating systems to run simultaneously and independently on the same device. 

Users can switch between Android and the sovereign OS instantly, keeping full functionality without compromise.

The company has demonstrated Signal running inside its sovereign OS. By isolating the app from Android, the system reduces the attack surface by 500×, keeping messages safe even if Android is compromised. 

Essentially, Soverli works with existing devices and requires no hardware modifications, making high-level security widely accessible.

Availability is mission-critical, yet organisations still rely on operating systems they cannot control or audit,” said Ivan Puddu, co-founder and CEO of Soverli. 

We built a fully auditable smartphone sovereign layer that stays operational even when Android is compromised. It’s a paradigm shift: instead of hoping the OS never breaks, Soverli guarantees continuity if it does, without forcing users to give up the modern smartphone experience they expect.”

Soverli’s technology has attracted attention from governments, public institutions, and enterprises. Early pilots focus on emergency services and critical infrastructure, where phone availability is essential. 

If the main OS fails due to an attack or misconfiguration, Soverli keeps vital apps and workflows running, supporting police, firefighters, EMTs, journalists, and human rights workers. 

Enterprises are exploring the system for secure bring-your-own-device programmes, allowing employees to run private and business environments on the same device safely.

People deserve phones they can actually trust, and OEMs must deliver it,” said Antonia Albert, Investor at Founderful. “Soverli’s Swiss-made sovereign layer is the kind of breakthrough that can rewrite the rules of mobile security.”

The bigger context sees Europe and other regions racing to achieve digital sovereignty. Cloud and network infrastructure are already moving toward independence, but smartphones have lagged. 

Soverli fills this gap, enabling institutions to enforce security policies on consumer-grade hardware without compromising usability.

The new funding will expand Soverli’s engineering team, extend device compatibility, improve mobile management integrations, and scale partnerships with OEMs. 

The company’s long-term goal is to make true digital sovereignty available to all smartphones, ensuring both security and convenience for everyday users.

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Snapchat Now Lets Users Keep Messages Forever, Launches Group Streaks https://techeconomy.ng/snapchat-infinite-retention-group-streaks/ https://techeconomy.ng/snapchat-infinite-retention-group-streaks/#respond Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:14:43 +0000 https://techeconomy.ng/?p=167193 Snapchat is shifting its core messaging philosophy with the launch of “Infinite Retention,” a feature that allows users to permanently save conversations. 

Until now, messages were automatically deleted either 24 hours after being viewed by everyone in a chat or 31 days after being sent. With Infinite Retention, users can choose which conversations to preserve, and all participants are notified whenever the setting is activated.

The update also brings “Group Streaks,” enabling multiple friends to contribute to a shared streak. Previously, streaks were limited to one-on-one interactions, requiring daily exchanges between two people. 

Group Streaks continue as long as most members participate, and if a streak is broken, it can be restored within a week. “We’ve often heard from our community that Snapchatters want to save their chats forever and wish they could build streaks with their favourite groups,” the company said in a statement.

Infinite Retention can be toggled on or off for each chat, and both parties receive notifications when the feature is enabled or disabled. This ensures users maintain control over which conversations remain permanent while keeping other interactions ephemeral.

Snapchat originally built its reputation on disappearing messages, but this update aligns the platform more closely with traditional messaging apps like WhatsApp and iMessage. 

The change comes when competition from TikTok, Instagram Threads, and Discord is increasing, as Snap aims to boost engagement and time spent in chats, a key metric for advertisers.

Via Infinite Retention, Snapchat is now joining a trend in social apps, offering users flexibility in how they communicate, blending permanent and ephemeral messaging. Signal and Telegram have long provided disappearing messages with optional permanence, and Snapchat’s latest features bring it firmly into this hybrid messaging space.

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