TaktSignal

Install · Community Alpha

Installing the macOS Community Alpha

From version 0.1.0 the TaktSignal Community Alpha for Mac is signed with TaktSignal's Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple. macOS checks it like any other notarized app: the first time you open it, you see one confirmation that it was downloaded from the Internet, and nothing else. There is no “Open Anyway” step.

Being notarized means Apple scanned this build for known malware and it is signed by the TaktSignal publisher. It does not mean Apple reviewed what TaktSignal does. TaktSignal is still Community Alpha software — see Community Alpha limitations.

Before you start

  • A Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) and macOS 12 or later. Intel Macs are not supported in this release.
  • 4 GB of memory and 2 GB of free disk space.
  • If an older TaktSignal is already installed, read Replacing an existing installation first.

Steps

  1. Download only from the official page: taktsignal.cloud/download → macOS — Apple Silicon. The file is TaktSignal-<version>-macos-arm64.dmg (a .zip of the same app is also published).
  2. Optional but recommended: verify the SHA-256 against the value on the download page.
  3. Install. Double-click the .dmg: a window opens with TaktSignal and an Applications folder — drag TaktSignal onto Applications. (With the .zip: double-click it to unpack, then drag TaktSignal into Applications.) Always start TaktSignal from Applications — not from the disk image or the Downloads folder. From 0.1.2 on, if you open it from the disk image anyway, TaktSignal offers Move to Applications (a previous copy there goes to the Trash; your data is kept).
  4. Open TaktSignal from Applications (double-click).
  5. macOS asks once: “TaktSignal” is an app downloaded from the Internet. Are you sure you want to open it? and says Apple checked it for malicious software. Click Open.

TaktSignal starts and opens its Control Center in your browser. Continue with Getting started, step 4.

If macOS says it “could not verify” TaktSignal

A genuine TaktSignal 0.1.0 or later is notarized, so you should not see “Apple could not verify TaktSignal is free of malware” or be asked to use Open Anyway. If you do:

You can check any copy yourself in Terminal: spctl --assess --type execute --verbose /Applications/TaktSignal.app should print accepted and source=Notarized Developer ID.

What not to do

  • Never disable Gatekeeper (for example with sudo spctl --master-disable). TaktSignal does not need it, and it would remove protection for every other app.
  • Do not run commands from forums or chats that remove quarantine flags or change security settings.
  • Do not install a TaktSignal app you did not download from taktsignal.cloud/download yourself.

Replacing an existing installation

Updates normally happen inside the app (Control Center → Updates). If you install a newer download over an existing copy instead, replace the app in Applications and open it from there. Your data is kept. From 0.1.1 on, the new app stops an older TaktSignal still running in the background and starts itself (this takes up to a minute). With 0.1.0 only: if the Control Center shows “Not found”, restart your Mac (or log out and back in) and open TaktSignal again from Applications; nothing is lost.

Verify the download

See Verify your download. On a Mac: open Terminal and run shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/TaktSignal-<version>-macos-arm64.dmg, then compare the result with the SHA-256 on the download page. They must be identical.

Removing TaktSignal

See Uninstall. Your data is kept unless you choose to remove it.