Facebook Messenger will soon get end-to-end encryption by default

Only WhatsApp has switched on end-to-end encryption by default, and long before that, Meta had been working toward

it for its messaging services. According to Meta's latest update regarding its efforts, the company will begin testing default end-to-end encrypted chats for select on Messenger. Those who are selected to participate in the test will discover that certain of their most frequently occurring chats have been fully end-to-end encrypted. That eliminates the need to start "Secret Conversations" with those friends any longer.

Secure storage for encrypted chats is also being trialed, allowing users to access their chat history if they lose their phone or wish to restore it on a new device. Users must create a PIN or generate codes that will be saved in order to access their backups using security storage.

There are also two end-to-end encrypted options for you to consider, both of which provide another layer of security. Nonetheless, individuals may use cloud services to recover conversations — for example, those using iOS devices can save the secret key needed to access their backups on iCloud. This week, Meta will begin testing secure storage on Android and iOS; it is still not accessible on Messenger on the web or in unencrypted chats.

In the future, Facebook plans to integrate end-to-end encryption into its Messenger platform by implementing a new set of tests. It will test the ability to unsend messages and respond to Facebook Stories as encrypted chats, as well as introduce end-to-end encrypted conversations to Messenger's Calls Tab. Users of Ray-Ban Stories can now send encrypted hands-free messages using Messenger.

In addition, Meta is releasing a new security feature called Code Verify, which is an open-source browser extension for Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge. It can confirm that the Messenger website's web code has not been tampered with and that it hasn't been hacked. Instagram will retire the app's vanish mode chats, which aren't encrypted, while also expanding ongoing tests for opt-in end-to-end encrypted messages and calls on the platform.

Meta is working toward the worldwide rollout of default end-to-end encryption for messages and calls on its services, which includes all of these activities. It intends to conduct more tests and updates before its planned roll out in 2023.