WhatsApp now shows “End-to-End Encrypted” badge for secure chats

An "end-to-End encrypted" banner appears briefly under usernames in chats, offering a quick way to confirm the security of your conversations.

By: Tech Desk
Bengaluru | March 12, 2024 04:09 PM IST

2 min read

Chats on WhatsApp are encrypted by default (Express Photo)

Chats on WhatsApp have been end-to-end encrypted for a while now. With the latest beta update, the company is now highlighting this capability by displaying an “end-to-end encrypted” banner right under the user name, offering users a glance at the built-in security feature on WhatsApp.

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WhatsApp has started displaying if the specific chat is end-to-end encrypted by showing the same under the user name inside a chat. This feature will enable users to understand if a specific chat is encrypted or not, and the caption appears along with a padlock icon.

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End-to-end encrypted banner on WhatsApp (Image credit: WABetainfo)

We have already received this feature on our Android phone, which runs on the latest version of WhatsApp beta from the Google Play Store. The end-to-end encryption banner appears for a brief moment and then automatically disappears. We have also noticed this banner on some of the WhatsApp groups. One can also manually verify end-to-end encryption on both Android and iOS devices.

Also read | How to use one WhatsApp account on multiple devices: A step-by-step guide

In the stable version of WhatsApp, a user has to go inside the settings to check if the specific chat is encrypted, and this update makes it easy for users to get this information with just a glance.

If the other person is using a modified app that does not support end-to-end encryption, the same will be easily known by the user, adding a layer of transparency. Meta is likely to roll out this feature to Android, iOS, web, and desktop (Windows or Mac) users in the coming days.

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