Ahead of Apple’s RCS update, WhatsApp has recently given iMessage and Google Messages customers disgruntled with their clumsy, cross-platform chatting a great cause to switch
WhatsApp continues to be my preferred secure messaging application for its billions of users. It is credited with enabling universal access to end-to-end, cross-platform encryption and has maintained a prudent balance between privacy and accessibility despite its Meta overlords.
Over the past week, WhatsApp has been embroiled in the “dangerous” allegations that competitor Telegram has made regarding its encryption protocol. The actual target of Telegram’s attack was the exceedingly secure messenger Signal. However, because WhatsApp and numerous others employ Signal’s protocol, there is a risk of tampering.
However, WhatsApp’s security is reliable; no credible claims regarding transmission or “man-in-the-middle” interception have been made. The risk of endpoint compromise persists. Everything is lost if someone gains control of your device or deceives you into granting access to your WhatsApp account.
This week, WhatsApp renewed its commendable stance on security and privacy innovation by announcing that its intelligent locked conversation feature, first tested on linked devices last month, will be made available to all users.
Activating “locked chats” on WhatsApp from a primary device provides additional protection for messages that you prefer to remain private. Everyone knows that kind. Unlocking those conversations requires a separate operation, storing them in a distinct folder. It ensures that your children (or perhaps your companion) will not inadvertently access inappropriate content while using your phone.
According to WABetaInfo, a hole in the closed chat feature will be filled, allowing linked devices to join the ability to lock chats from the primary device. “With select users, WhatsApp appears to have entered the testing phase for this feature, which may indicate that a broader release is imminent in the coming weeks.”
However, the configuration of the secret code remains to be completed on the primary device. A synchronized passcode is applied to every device associated with the account.
“We believe that implementing this feature on linked devices will further improve user convenience and privacy,” states WABetaInfo. WhatsApp guarantees substantial privacy by permitting users to segregate their protected conversations from the message list, diminishing the likelihood of inadvertent disclosure.
Locked conversations are also synchronized consistently across all devices via the configuration of a secret code. Blocked chat support for linked devices assures users that their private discussions remain concealed from unauthorized access on their mobile devices.
This signifies WhatsApp’s current caution: “Only chats on that particular device will be locked when chat lock is enabled.” The statement “Chats on linked devices will remain unlocked, including desktop computers, if you have additional devices connected to WhatsApp” will be removed following this implementation.
This latest update further differentiates the three-billion-user messaging application from its competitors, most notably iMessage by Apple and Messages by Google, before the RCS unification anticipated this autumn. In contrast to Telegram’s recent assertions, WhatsApp currently provides an unparalleled standard of cross-platform security and privacy unmatched by any other hyper-scale platform.
Although the RCS linkage between Google and Apple will rectify the outdated SMS feature set that impedes their ability to deliver cross-platform messages, it will not provide end-to-end encryption across ecosystems. You’ll need WhatsApp or another excessive platform to accomplish that.
This latest expansion of WhatsApp’s locked conversation feature is significant because it demonstrates the company’s continued support for security and privacy innovations and populist features like bubble colors and stickers.
The update is in beta, and there is no definite date for its public release.