Facebook Messenger finally gets end-to-end encryption by default

Meta announced today that it’s now rolling out end-to-end encryption for personal chats and calls on Facebook and Messenger.

With this extra layer of security, the contents of your messages are protected. This means only you and the person you send a message to via Facebook Messenger can see its contents.

Not even Meta itself can see your messages, unless a user chose to report a message to them.

End-to-end encryption will be enabled by default as soon as the app gets an upgrade. Although, since Facebook Messenger has a billion downloads, global rollout may take a while.

“It will take a number of months to complete the global roll-out,” Loredana Crisan, Head of Messenger, explained in a newsletter.

Once chats are upgraded, Messenger will prompt users to set up a PIN as a recovery method to restore messages if users lose, change, or add a new device.

Furthermore, the company announced also new features coming to Messenger. HD media sharing is now in development with a small group of users and plans “to scale them in the coming months.”

Users will also be able to edit messages within 15 minutes after sending the message. Voice messages playback gets up to 2x speeds, and even an ability to control read receipts.

Disappearing messages arrive in Messenger for end-to-end encrypted conversations which last up to 24 hours. The app should also notify you if someone screenshots a disappearing message.

“This is the biggest set of improvements to Messenger since it was first launched in 2011,” Crisan said.

Meta said that they’ve built their end-to-end encryption on strong cryptographic principles—the Signal Protocol and its own novel Labyrinth Protocol.

JM Chavaria

JM's highest stat is probably his curious ardor to anything tech—electronics and gaming in particular. He certainly heeds utmost regard to specsheet, visuals, and rule of thirds. If creativity and wit sometimes leave JM's system, watching films, anime and a good stroll for memes are his approved therapeutic claims.

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One Comment

Poppy says:

12 months ago

I have experience with end-to-end encryption, and despite its well-intentioned privacy features, it can be quite annoying. First, retrieving old messages, including important information like passwords, emails, or images, is impossible. Second, if you change devices, the PIN may not be prompted, leading to a new inbox where old messages are deleted. Third, the encryption is not user-friendly; you can’t disable it or decline, as it insists on a PIN or acceptance. Overall, it’s becoming a source of frustration, especially considering the already crowded nature of messaging apps.
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