WhatsApp has announced that the app is now fully encrypted on all platforms: Android, iPhone, Blackberry and others.

The content of Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp will be secured whether people send/share text messages, voice messages, photos, and videos. It will be the default setting for all the messages. Users will simply need to update to the latest version of WhatsApp to get the new encryption.

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“The idea is simple: when you send a message, the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to. No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us. End-to-end encryption helps make communication via WhatsApp private — sort of like a face-to-face conversation,” WhatsApp said in a statement.

Implementing universal encryption allows for a number of new protections. Once communications with a user are encrypted, the messaging app will now notify the user and refuse to send any unencrypted messages, addressing previous concerns that the system might be vulnerable to a downgrade attack.

The End-to-end encryption means the content of communications are not stored in plaintext on WhatsApp’s servers. The company would not be able to decrypt users’ messages to access them because there are not encryption keys. In result, WhatsApp is not compelled to hand over messaging data — even if there is warrant by authorities demanding access.

WhatsApp partnered with Open Whisper Systems to develop the encryption protocol. It is the same protocol used for an Open Whisper messaging app called Signal, which has millions of user. Open Whisper Systems will continue to work with additional messaging platforms to incorporate strong encryption in the near future.

In 2014, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for more than $16 billion. WhatsApp has over one billion monthly active users.

TagsWhatsApp, Facebook, messaging app, message encryption