WhatsApp encrypted backups now rolling out to iOS, Android

Backed up chats can be encrypted with a password or encryption key

After testing both local and cloud based encrypted backups earlier in 2021, WhatsApp is now rolling it out to everyone on Android and iOS.

The Facebook-owned platform tested cloud based end-to-end encrypted backups in July and local backups, the following month. While the platform itself has been using end-to-end encryption for chats, the backups weren't encrypted. That changes now.

With the new updates, backups for chats on Google Drive and iCloud can now be encrypted. To enable the feature, you need to tap on the three dots on the top right hand corner of the interface, choose Settings, then Chats, Chat Backup and finally, End-to-end encrypted backup.

You will then need to choose between either a password or a unique encryption key to begin using the feature. A word of caution, once you set this up, only you will be aware of the password or key used to protect chats. If you lose access to your password or key, no one will be able to help you and you will lose access to your chats forever. This is because this information is not shared with anyone, not even WhatsApp.

This now makes WhatsApp the only messaging service that provides this layer of security when compared to the competition.

"With more than 2 billion users, we are excited to give people more choices to protect their privacy," said the company in a press release.

"We will be rolling this feature out slowly to those with the latest version of WhatsApp," it added.