WhatsApp has finally rolled out its end-to-end encryption to WhatsApp chat backups. End-to-End encrypted messages you send and receive on WhatsApp are stores on your iPhone or Android, many people want to backup their chats in case they lose their phone. WhatsApp’s integration with Google Drive and iCloud recently came under crosshair, the instant backups on these cloud-based platforms did not enjoy the same encryption protection that the chats had.
Last month WhatsApp has announced that end-to-end encrypted cloud backups would start rolling out for Android and iOS users. This feature will help users to protect their backup being accessed by 3ed party cloud storage providers such as Google and Apple. This feature went live from 14-10-2021 and will soon be rolled out to both Android and iOS devices with the new update.
With end-to-end encrypted backups, no other messaging service at WhatsApp’s scale will provide this level of security for people’s messages – from sending and transit, to receiving and storing in the cloud,
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You can now secure your end-to-end encrypted backup with either a password of your choice or a 64-digit encryption key that only you know. Neither WhatsApp nor your backup service provider will be able to read your backups or access the key required to unlock it,
WhatsApp
How to enable end-to-end encryption for WhatsApp backups
Make sure that you are on the latest version of WhatsApp to get the update. You need to manually enable end-to-end encryption for cloud backups.
Step 1: Go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backups > End-to-End Encrypted Backups and follow the prompts on the screen.
Step 2: You will be required to create a password for your backup. Alternatively, you can use a 64-bit encryption key.
Step 3: Once the on-screen steps are completed, tap Done and wait for WhatsApp to prepare your end-to-end encrypted backup.
How users can access their password protected backups
If you want to retrieve their backup, first they want to password, then it is verified by the backup key vault. After the verification of the password, the backup key vault will send the encryption key back to the WhatsApp client, with the key the WhatsApp client can then decrypt the backups.
Note: It is very important to note that you won’t be able to restore your end-to-end encrypted backup if you forget your password or key.
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