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WhatsApp, the popular instant messaging application owned by Facebook, is making the headlines once again. Thankfully, this time around it is because WhatsApp is gaining the end-to-end encryption for Google Drive and iCloud Backups.
As per a report by Android Central, via its official blog, Facebook has officially begun rolling out this security feature. Back on September 10, Facebook announced that WhatsApp will soon get end-to-end encryption for Google Drive and iCloud backups.
Previously, WhatsApp allowed its users to protect their WhatsApp messages and backup them on Google Drive and iCloud. However, they were secured with the default cloud-based storage services.
Fast forward to now, starting with the latest version of WhatsApp, Facebook is now making this new security feature live for all users. It will provide an extra layer of protection for backups stored on Google Drive or iCloud.
According to the blog, the company claims that there is no other messaging service that provides this level of security for users’ messages, media, voice messages, video calls, and chat backups.
WhatsApp users need to manually enable end-to-end encryption for cloud backups
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced via the official post that WhatsApp users across the globe will get this feature. Apparently, both Android and iOS users will get the feature gradually with the latest version of the app.
So, ensure that you running the latest version of the WhatsApp application on your Android or iOS devices in order to enjoy this additional layer of security for your cloud backups.
If you have already installed the latest version of WhatsApp on your Android or iOS device, and want to enjoy this feature, you will need to enable it manually.
Do note that the existing end-to-end encryption will be enabled by default. You need to manually enable cloud backups by heading over to Settings > Chats > Chat Backups > End-to-End Encrypted Backups.
You will see on-screen prompts, which you need to follow in order to set up end-to-end encryption. Here, you need to set up either a password or a 64-digit encryption key of your choice. It is required every time you want to read or access your backups.
Setting up encryption may require some local resources of your device, so ensure that you have sufficient battery on it. More importantly, you should note down the password or the 64-bit encryption key.
You can go to Google Play Store or App Store, depending on your Android or iOS device, to download the latest version of WhatsApp.