WhatsApp started quietly testing end-to-end encryption for chat historical past backups earlier this summer time. Now, the corporate is making the characteristic official: WhatsApp announced today that each one customers will be capable of encrypt backups of their chat historical past.

While WhatsApp messages have been encrypted since 2016, the app hasn’t provided end-to-end encryption of backups, which depend on iCloud or Google Drive. But with the newest replace, customers will be capable of opt-in to end-to-end encryption for his or her backups earlier than these backups hit their cloud storage service. Users can anticipate the replace “in the coming weeks,” in response to the corporate.

Once end-to-end encryption is enabled, “neither WhatsApp nor the backup service provider will be able to access” the backup, WhatsApp writes in a weblog publish. Backups are encrypted with a “unique, randomly generated encryption key.” Users will then be capable of select between two choices: manually storing the 64-digit key, or setting a password, which can be utilized to entry the important thing.

While the characteristic definitely makes backups safer, there are a couple of elements to remember. The first is that opting in means there might be no approach to recuperate your backup do you have to lose the 64-digit encryption key (you’ll be able to reset the password if you happen to neglect it). Next is that despite the fact that WhatsApp not too long ago introduced help for a number of units, you’ll solely be capable of use encrypted backups in your main system.

It’s additionally value declaring that end-to-end encryption doesn’t assure your chats won’t ever be utilized in a manner you may not like. This week, ProPublica printed a lengthy story on WhatsApp’s use of human moderators who assessment chats which can be reported by WhatsApp customers. And earlier this yr The Information reported that Facebook could also be researching AI that might sooner or later enable it to serve customers adverts based mostly on encrypted messages. While neither of those “break” the safety provided by encryption — and there are a lot of excellent the reason why folks ought to be capable of report abusive messages — it is a good reminder that privateness is about rather more than simply the presence of end-to-end encryption.