The feature was already available for private conversations

Aug 13, 2021 18:04 GMT  ·  By

Facebook has just announced that it’s starting the rollout of end-to-end encryption for voice and voice calls after the company previously offered the same security feature for one-on-one conversations.

In other words, Facebook says that whoever makes an audio or video call on its Messenger app should benefit from state-of-the-art encryption that should guarantee nobody is snooping on them.

“End-to-end encryption is already widely used by apps like WhatsApp to keep personal conversations safe from hackers and criminals. It’s becoming the industry standard and works like a lock and key, where just you and the people in the chat or call have access to the conversation,” Facebook says.

“The content of your messages and calls in an end-to-end encrypted conversation is protected from the moment it leaves your device to the moment it reaches the receiver’s device. This means that nobody else, including Facebook, can see or listen to what’s sent or said. Keep in mind, you can report an end-to-end encrypted message to us if something’s wrong.”

More security improvements on their way

Furthermore, Facebook says it’ll start a broad test of end-to-end encryption for group chat, including voice and video calls, but for the time being, there’s no ETA as to when this feature could roll out for everyone on Messenger.

Instagram users will also get improved end-to-end encryption, as Facebook says it’ll be adding a setting to opt-in for additional protection on DMs. A testing will kick off in certain countries, Facebook says, and it’ll be valid for calls and conversations on Instagram.

The latest update also includes additional settings for disappearing messages in Messenger conversations, as users can now choose from more options, starting with 5 seconds and going all the way up to 24 hours. The new settings are available for everyone using Messenger today.