On Tuesday, Meta announced “the largest package of new features for the Messenger application since its creation in 2011.” There are actually a lot of changes, and the most important one concerns the default encryption of sent messages. The end-to-end (E2EE) function has been available in the application since 2016, but until now users had to enable it themselves. Now that will change.
It is worth noting that default encryption will only be enabled for private one-on-one conversations. The company is working to make E2EE also available for group chats and Instagram conversations in the future.
The added layer of security provided by end-to-end encryption means that the content of your messages and conversations with friends and family is protected from the moment it leaves your device until it reaches the recipient’s device. This means that no one, including Meta, can see what was sent or said unless you choose to report the message to us.
– explains Meta.
At last! Messenger will allow you to edit messages
But that’s not all. Many people will certainly be happy that Messenger will now allow you to edit a message that has already been sent. We will have exactly 15 minutes to do this (after this time, the ability to edit is disabled). Meta warns that if we report a received message (e.g. one that contains criminal threats), the company will be able to see its original version even if it was later edited by the sender.
Messenger Meta
Another change concerns disappearing messages, which are available for conversations with E2EE encryption. These messages will be deleted 24 hours after being sent. “We are also improving the interface to make it easier to recognize when disappearing messages is enabled. This will ensure that users will be sure that their messages will remain safe and will not be saved forever,” the company explains.
Messenger Meta
We will also be able to decide whether we want our interlocutor to receive a notification when we read his message. “We know people value their privacy, and this feature helps avoid the pressure to respond immediately,” explains Meta.
The last novelty concerns multimedia. According to the company, Messenger users share 1.3 billion photos and videos every day. Now it is to be sent in better quality. You will also be able to reply or react to a single photo within the collection.
Messegner Meta
All new features (apart from the default E2EE encryption, which is to be implemented in stages) will be made available to Messenger users in the coming hours.
Source: Gazeta
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