Meta adds a new label to show whether third-party WhatsApp chats are secure

New rules in Europe means that WhatsApp will have to offer interoperability with other messaging apps and platforms. This is something that Meta has already been talking about, having published its preference for third parties to use the Signal Protocol as the foundation for these E2EE communications.

Use of the Signal Protocol will not be a requirement for interoperability, but whatever protocol is used by a third-party messaging app or platform, it will need to show they offer "the same security guarantees as Signal". To communicate security to users, WhatsApp is introducing a new "end-to-end encrypted" label that will be added to secure chats.

See also:

• Microsoft is rolling out new versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 to Europe
• Microsoft releases KB5001716 update for Windows 10 to give Windows Update a new UI... and to push users towards Windows 11
• Microsoft is ending updates for Windows 10 21H2 and wants enterprise and education users to consider Windows 11

At the moment, the label can only be seen in the beta version of WhatsApp for Android -- and even then, it is not yet available to all beta testers. The security indicator appears at the top of a chat under the contact or group name.

The label was spotted by WABetaInfo who shared the news on X:

While there is definitely value in having the label, WABetaInfo points out:

With this enhancement, users are always aware when their chats are securely encrypted using the Signal protocol, serving as a visual confirmation that nobody can read their messages and listen to their calls. It is important to note that this caption disappears after a few seconds so the last seen info can appear.

As this is a feature that is currently in beta testing, it is possible -- or even likely -- that it will be tweaked slightly before it rolls out to everyone.

Image credit: Mino Surkala / Dreamstime.com