WhatsApp has started rolling out the end-to-end encryption feature, which one can use to secure all the personal messages. If one enables this feature, it means that the chat backups can only be accessed by the user, and no third-party, be it Facebook or even Apple or Google. The Facebook-owned company says "with end-to-end encrypted backup, you can also add that same layer of protection to your iCloud and Google Drive backups." Since 2016, WhatsApp has offered its users end-to-end encryption by default for messages, video and audio calls. In a blog post, the company revealed that this "encryption protects over 100 billion messages a day as they travel between more than two billion users globally." The new end-to-end encrypted backup feature lets users set either a password of their choice or a 64-digit encryption key that only they know. So, no other third party service will be able to access the chats. But remember, if you forget the password, then you lose access to the chat backup as well. WhatsApp: How to enable end-to-end encrypted backup Step 1: Open WhatsApp and head to the Settings section by tapping on the three-dotted button, which is located on the top right corner. Step 2: Tap Chats and then jump to Chat Backup. Step 3: Go to End-to-end Encrypted Backup and tap Continue. After that, you need to follow the prompts to create a password or an encryption key. Step 4: Tap Done, and wait for WhatsApp to prepare an end-to-end encrypted backup. It should be noted that you might need to connect to a power source as the encryption would some local resources of the device. Note: WhatsApp users won’t be able to restore their backup if they lose their WhatsApp chats and forget their password or key. The company says that WhatsApp can’t reset your password or restore your backup for you. The process to enable the feature is similar for both Android and iOS. It has started rolling out and should be visible in a few days to everyone.
