In December, we started rolling out default end-to-end encryption for personal messages on Messenger, providing an extra layer of security for your messages. Today we’re sharing a quick overview on end-to-end encryption and what it means for your Messenger chats.

What Is End-to-End Encryption?

End-to-end encryption helps protect your privacy by ensuring no one sees your messages except you. Think of it as an extra layer of security that keeps your messages and calls with family and friends protected, from the moment they leave your device, to the moment they reach the receiver’s device. This means that nobody during this delivery, including Meta, can see or listen to what’s sent or said. 

Whether you’re sharing family photos or your personal finances, end-to-end encryption allows all of your information to be shared with added privacy and security. 

We are rolling out end-to-end encryption on Messenger now, and all of your personal messages will become encrypted by default. During the roll-out process, you may notice that some chats become end-to-end encrypted before others – this is to be expected. You’ll notice chats that become end-to-end encrypted will say “messages and calls protected with end-to-end encryption.” 

Like many other security features, once your chats are end-to-end encrypted by default, they’ll always be secured with end-to-end encryption to protect the content of your conversations.  

How to Access Your Messenger Chat History in Secure Storage

While your personal messages will become encrypted by default, end-to-end encryption changes how your messages are stored and accessed. With secure storage, your encrypted chat history can be saved on our servers or locally on your device in secure storage, which protects them from unwanted access on other devices. 

Secure storage saves your end-to-end encrypted chat history remotely. We recommend you turn on secure storage so that you can restore your chat history if you get a new device. If you don’t have secure storage, your messages and media may be permanently lost if you ever lose your device.

When your chats become end-to-end encrypted, Messenger will prompt you to set up your preferred method to access your secure storage. 

There are two main ways you can access your secure storage: set up a 6-digit PIN or store a virtual key in your Google Drive or iCloud. You can learn more about these options, and how to set them up, in the Help Center.

Default end-to-end encryption on Messenger is rolling out globally over the coming months. You can learn more about end-to-end encryption on Messenger in the Help Center.