Pushing Configuration Changes to Phones (Reload Configuration)
Saving a change in the portal updates Signal's database; Reload Configuration is what delivers that change to the physical phone. The portal separates the two deliberately, so you can stage several edits and push them once. If a phone isn't reflecting a change you saved, an unpushed reload is the most likely reason.
What Reload Configuration does
The reload sends the phone a resync instruction (a SIP check-sync event). The phone re-fetches its configuration files from the provisioning server and applies the difference. Registration-level changes apply in seconds; button-layout and firmware changes may trigger a brief restart.
When a reload is required
Change | Reload needed? |
|---|---|
Line keys, labels, BLF targets | Yes |
Extension reassignment on a device | Yes |
Transport or security settings | Yes (restarts) |
SIP password reset | Yes |
Caller ID, ring duration, routing, voicemail settings | No — server-side, immediate |
Server-side settings take effect on the next call because they live in Signal's routing core, not in the phone.
How to push it
- Per device: Devices → Phones → (device) → Reload Configuration.
- Physically rebooting a phone forces the same re-fetch — useful when working at the phone itself.
Note: a phone that is offline (no Last Seen updates) cannot receive a reload; it will pick up its current configuration next time it boots on the network.
Related articles
Last reviewed August 6, 2026. Still stuck? Contact Signal Support from your portal — include what you expected, what happened instead, and one example phone number or extension.