WhatsApp gets ready to remind everyone why end-to-end encryption matters

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WhatsApp logo
WhatsApp logo (Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / iMore)

What you need to know

  • WhatsApp is adding a new encryption explanation to its iPhone app.
  • A new encryption explainer is available in the WhatsApp beta release.
  • End-to-end encryption ensures conversations cannot be read by others.

WhatsApp is readying an update that will remind people why end-to-end encryption is so important to them, according to a new report. A new screen will show what end-to-end encryption means and what benefits it offers.

The new WhatsApp screen is now being tested in beta form and was first spotted by beta watchers WABetaInfo. The page will appear when people tap another new addition — the end-to-end encryption indicators that we reported on recently.

Whatsapp E2e Encryption Explainer

Whatsapp E2e Encryption Explainer (Image credit: WABetaInfo)

As you can see in this attached screenshot, a new security page shows up that gives some information about end-to-end encryption. The new page informs the user that text and voice messages, audio and video calls (including group calls), media, location sharing, and status updates are secured by end-to-end encryption, so your conversations are always private.

End-to-end encryption ensures that all communications are private, something that is vital to WhatsApp users and one of the reasons it's one of the best iPhone apps for private communications — although there are plenty of WhatsApp alternatives available in the App Store.

This latest change is currently available to those on the WhatsApp TestFlight beta although it is surely only a matter of time before it is rolled out to everyone. WhatsApp continues to tweak its app via those beta releases before making the updates available via the App Store for all users. The Meta-owned instant messaging service is also testing a change that will add an ETA to file transfers, too.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.