Meta Ends Instagram E2EE Support After May 2026

Meta announced plans to discontinue support for end-to-end encrypted messaging on Instagram, effective after May 8, 2026, removing an optional privacy feature for direct messages and calls. The change, detailed in an updated help center document, affects users worldwide who had enabled the technology, which previously prevented the company from accessing conversation contents.

End-to-end encryption secures messages by locking them on the sender's device using unique keys shared only among participants, ensuring that neither Meta's servers nor third parties can read or listen to communications during transit. Introduced on Instagram in 2023 as part of a broader push toward private messaging across Meta's platforms, the feature required users to manually opt in through chat settings. It was not enabled by default and remained unavailable to many users, contributing to limited adoption.

A Meta spokesperson stated that "very few people were opting in to end-to-end encrypted messaging in DMs," prompting the decision to remove the option. The company emphasized that users seeking encrypted communication can turn to WhatsApp, where the feature operates by default for personal chats....