WhatsApp extends encryption from phones to backups on Google Drive, iCloud

WhatsApp users with encrypted messages on their smartphones will now be able to keep the encryption when storing their messages on Google Drive and iCloud, the messaging app’s parent company Facebook said on Thursday.

“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,” Sputnik reported, quoting Facebook as saying in a press release.

Messages will be secured in encrypted backups with either a password or a 64-bit encryption key known only to the user, the release said.

“Neither WhatsApp nor your backup service provider will be able to read your backups or access the key required to unlock it,” the release added.

The new feature will be rolled out gradually, beginning with users who have the most recent version of WhatsApp on their phones, according to the release.