WhatsApp Might Encrypt Chat Backups Sent to Cloud Storages Soon

Credit: WhatsApp

WhatsApp is allegedly working on a feature that encrypts your chat history when stored through a cloud storage service.

WABetaInfo, an independent news announcer about WhatsApp’s updates and new features, shared photos on Twitter on how the feature could look like in both iOS and Android versions of the app as well as the feature’s details.

WABetaInfo mentioned in its post that the chat database and media “will be safe from unauthorised access when using a password” and that the password is private and will not be sent to WhatsApp. It also added that the feature will be available in a future build for both iOS and Android devices.

What WhatsApp’s alleged new feature could look like in the messaging app’s iOS version Credit: WABetaInfo

WhatsApp previously stated that your chat history and media backup was not protected by WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption while in a cloud storage service like iCloud and Google Drive. With this feature, only you and the people you allow to know the backup’s password can access your backup.

WABetaInfo reported this feature in an article on 21 May 2020, in which it detailed that the encryption of cloud back-ups was a new feature under development.

According to The Verge’s Jon Porter, WhatsApp declined to comment on WABetaInfo’s findings. However, WABetaInfo has been noted to have a good record when it came to its announcements. Porter also added that WABetaInfo broke the news about WhatsApp’s features of adding contacts by QR code and disappearing messages long before WhatsApp officially announced them.

---

Written by John Paul Joaquin