After multiple requests and ages of time, WhatsApp is finally rolling out a much-needed feature to its platform – The encryption of backups.
Backups that are stored in third-party cloud services like Google Drive and iCloud are unprotected, to date. But now, WhatsApp says users can encrypt them with a password or A 64-digit key that only you know it.
WhatsApp Chat Backup Encryption
Though WhatsApp is the world’s largest instant messenger, it’s criticized for various means. One among them is the slow progress of making new features, which the rival messengers roll out frequently as per the community’s demand.
Well, WhatsApp does too, but so late. Today, the Facebook-owned messenger announced the introduction of encryption support to chat backups, in cloud storage. WhatsApp uses third-party cloud services like Google Drive and iCloud for storing the chats, and use them for retrieving on a new device and cross-platform synchronization.
Also Read- Best Android Backup Apps
For long, these have been left unprotected. Meaning anyone having access to your Google Drive or iCloud can be able to download and view the chats! Since this forms a security issue, the community demanded WhatsApp to encrypt the backups.
And now, listening to their hardcore prayers, WhatsApp announced supporting encryption of chat backups in cloud services. The platform said,
“Starting today, we are making available an extra, optional layer of security to protect backups stored on Google Drive or iCloud with end-to-end encryption.”
This will be rolling out to Android and iOS users soon and will let them protect the backup with a password or a 64-digit encryption key that’s only known to them.
If not, there’s an alternative method of generating a random key that could be stored in WhatsApp’s data center, which can be accessed by a user-created password. Chat backups include WhatsApp texts, images, videos, documents.
