After several years of radio silence, Meta is introducing standard end-to-end encryption for personal messages and calls via Facebook Messenger.

Facebook Messenger hasn’t missed the train towards standard end-to-end encryption. This security technology is based on the Signal protocol and doesn’t sound strange to Meta. WhatsApp, which also falls under Meta, has been using this security for years. Since 2016, Messenger users have been able to enable end-to-end security themselves, but standard end-to-end encryption took several years.

The path to more privacy and security

Meta has taken the time to apply the standard end-to-end security we know from WhatsApp to messages and calls via Facebook Messenger. The company says it takes its responsibility to take Messenger users’ privacy and security seriously. Although Meta is no stranger to the Signal protocol, it was still a long-term process. According to Meta, a team of engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts and product managers have been working on security updates for Messenger for years.

Additional updates from Facebook Messenger

In addition to the standard end-to-end encryption, Meta has added other updates. From now on you can edit a sent message within 15 minutes. It is also possible to activate or deactivate a read receipt. This reduces the pressure to react immediately.

Voice messages have become extremely popular recently. With Messenger you can play a voice message at 1.5x or 2x speed, continue listening where you left off, or even use another app or chat while you listen. Finally, sharing photos and videos becomes easier with improved image quality, fun layouts, and more controls for reacting to each photo or video.

The most important update, standard end-to-end encryption, will take some time to roll out. With more than a billion users worldwide, it will take several months for this security update to be available to everyone.