Signal is, of course, like many such similar apps. The desktop app is simply a 'mirror' for the one on your cellphone/smartphone.
The phone app will happily function in standalone mode. The desktop app, on the other hand, is useless without a phone app to 'pair' it with.....
Which is one reason why out of all these apps, I still prefer Telegram. Because the desktop app functions happily by itself. Invariably, when someone suggests anything other than Telegram it's because that's what they themselves use.....and think everybody else should.
(*shrug*)
I very much doubt installing it will bork your Bionic install. At best, it'll do what it's supposed to do; at worst, it just won't do anything.
Mike. 