TRADITIONALLY, IF YOU wanted to keep your messages completely safe, you would have to resort to one of the encrypted instant messaging apps like Telegram. Now one of the most popular instant messaging apps is adding a new feature that will make its content more secure.

WhatsApp has more than 600 million users worldwide and all users who update to the latest version of Android will get end-to-end encryption features.

This ensures that WhatsApp isn’t able to decrypt the messages, even if it’s asked to recover them by the law. The only people who have access to messages are the sender and the receiver.

The feature is activated by default and WhatsApp partnered with Open Whisper Systems, a open-source group that works on providing secure communications.

The group is best known for developing secure calls and messaging apps like RedPhone, and TextSecure, but it says that bringing this to WhatsApp “represents the largest deployment of end-to-end encryption in history“.

So far it’s only Android that will support this feature (iOS will be arriving soon) and it doesn’t apply yet to group messages or media messages, but Open Whisper Systems says it will be rolling out support for those next, as well as for other platforms, although it warns that it will take a while before all platforms are fully supported.

Read: This software can help describe what’s happening in an image >

Read: Snapchat is letting you send money to friends, but don’t get excited >

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More