WhatsApp is working on a new password protection feature that would encrypt chat backups, reports The Verge.
At the moment, chats are only end-to-end encrypted on WhatsApp – this doesn’t include the online backups stored on Google Drive and iCloud.So with the introduction of this feature, chats would only be accessible to the sender and recipient.
WABetaInfo shared screenshots of what this could look like:
• The chat database is already encrypted now (excluding media), but the algorithm is reversible and it’s not end-to-end encrypted.
• Local Android backups will be compatible with this feature.The chat DB and media will be encrypted using a password that only you know. https://t.co/WAliLUnF18
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) March 8, 2021
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“To prevent unauthorized access to your iCloud Drive backup, you can set a password that will be used to encrypt future backups. This password will be required when you restore from the backup.” Users will then be required to confirm their phone number and select a password.
WhatsApp Introduces Voice and Video Calling for its Desktop App
WhatsApp has announced that private and secure one-to-one voice and video calls are now available on its desktop app.
The calls are end-to-end encrypted which means that WhatsApp can’t hear or see them, whether you call from your phone or your computer.
“With so many people still apart from their loved ones, and adjusting to new ways of working, we want conversations on WhatsApp to feel as close to in-person as possible, regardless of where you are in the world or the tech you’re using,” says the messaging platform.
“We’re starting with one-to-one calls on the WhatsApp desktop app so we make sure we can give you a reliable and high-quality experience.”
To make desktop calling more useful, WhatsApp has made sure it works seamlessly for both portrait and landscape orientation, appears in a resizable standalone window on your computer screen, and is set to be always on top so you never lose your video chats in a browser tab or stack of open windows.
This feature is expected to include group voice and video calls in the future.
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