How to enable end-to-end encryption on Messenger
Facebook added end-to-end encryption to Facebook Messenger years ago, but it’s not enabled for users by default. That’s why you need to know how to enable end-to-end encryption in Facebook Messenger for private messages.
Facebook was reluctant to make end-to-end encryption the default for the Messenger app. The company cites security reasons for its skepticism, but says end-to-end encryption will become standard sometime in 2023.
But now you have to enable it in every single conversation if you want to ensure the privacy of your conversations. And unfortunately, it’s currently only available in the Messenger mobile app and not Messenger for web.
Still, end-to-end encryption can be useful to ensure only intended recipients can see conversations. So let’s see how it works in Messenger.
What types of end-to-end encryption does Messenger offer?
At the moment, users have a few different options to enable end-to-end encryption on Messenger mobile app for iOS or Android. And both options are relatively easy to set up via the app’s settings.
The first method is called Vanish mode. Disappearance mode is a setting you can use temporarily to have instant conversations with your friends.
In Disappear mode, all the messages you send will automatically disappear when the user exits the message window.
This is a useful setting for quick conversations you don’t want anyone to know about. Note, however, that even you will not be able to see these messages afterwards.
The other option is called Secret Conversations and is a more standard end-to-end encryption. This method will create a whole new chat window with your friend which will be encrypted.
Only you and other recipients can see these messages, and they’re stored directly on your device instead of in the cloud.
How to enable Vanish mode in Messenger
First, let’s take a look at Vanish mode in the Messenger app. To reiterate, messages sent in this mode will automatically disappear once each user exits the message window. So don’t use this for something you need to reference in the future.
Vanish mode is super easy to activate. It starts with a chat window already set up between you and your friends.
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In which delivery boy App open a conversation with your intended recipient
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swipe up at the bottom of the message window
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Stop until the prompt asks you to release the swipe
This opens as a new Vanish mode window for chats between you and your friend. Then you can send yourself back and forth freely as long as you stay in this window.
But as soon as you leave, the conversation disappears.
How to enable secret conversations in Messenger
The Secret Conversations feature in Messenger is the more standard end-to-end encryption. You can enable this setting to create a whole new chat window with your friend that only you and he can see.
This method is a bit more complex, but not by much. And with Secret Conversations, you can come back and continue the conversation at any time, and all messages remain end-to-end encrypted.
- Tap the pencil icon at top right
- Turn the lock iconl top right
- Find or seek for the friend you want to message and tap their name
This will open a whole new chat window with that person. If you did it correctly you should see the picture of a padlock in the other user’s profile picture in the Secret Conversation.
You can also set up disappearing messages when you are in a secret conversation. To do this, tap the user’s profile picture at the top of the message window.
Then select Disappearing Messages under the privacy section in this settings window.
When disappearing messages in Secret Conversations, all messages are automatically deleted after a certain time after being read by everyone in the chat.
It’s similar to Disappear mode, but the Secret Conversation chat window stays in your feed even after you exit.
Use Messenger’s end-to-end encryption for complete message privacy
When you send messages through Messenger, it’s sometimes easy to forget that Facebook has relatively unlimited access to those messages.
This is why end-to-end encryption is such a crucial factor. It makes it much harder for Facebook or anyone else to hack into your private conversations.
For now, you still have to manually enable end-to-end encryption in Messenger to really have privacy in your messages. But hopefully encryption will become standard in the app in 2023, as the company has promised.
Do you have any thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below, or transfer the discussion to ours Twitter or Facebook.
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