WhatsApp has featured end-to-end encryption since 2016, and it has been a staple feature of the platform from that moment onwards. Meta (I still can't get used to that name) has made it a point of heavily promoting it to create a reputation for WhatsApp as a secure messaging app, and this new change adds even more reminders on the app that, yes, WhatsApp has end-to-end encryption.

WABetaInfo has reported on new indicators coming to a future version of the app. Specifically, we're going to see a bottom footer in the Status, Calls, and Chats sections saying that everything in the app is end-to-end encrypted. All the stuff you send and receive on WhatsApp is ciphered on the sender's end and decrypted on the receiver's end, including text messages, photos, videos, statuses, calls, video calls, and more recently, even backups. If a message were to be intercepted by a third party for whatever reason, they would not be able to read it.

These changes are not available yet, not even on the beta version of the app, and as of now, they have only been spotted on iOS, although they should make their way to Android.

WhatsApp is likely pushing its encryption capabilities into the public view for a number of reasons. The most important one probably is that Meta doesn't really have the best reputation regarding security and privacy, and that carries over to WhatsApp — something that's definitely not made better by the service's attempts to become more invasive via changes to its terms of service. Then, we also have the fact that alternatives like Telegram and Signal are generally perceived as more secure, so this is basically WhatsApp's way of saying "hey, I'm encrypted too, pay attention to me" to users considering a switch.

UPDATE: 2022/03/26 09:17 EST BY STEVE HUFF

WhatsApp indicators seen in beta

WABetaInfo took a look at the upcoming WhatsApp beta for Android 2.22.8.7 and determined that yes, WhatsApp is getting ready to add indicators assuring you have end-to-end encryption to your call history. It will pop up as a footer you see under the call history reading, "Your personal calls are end-to-end encrypted."