Overview
- Instagram’s optional end‑to‑end encryption for direct messages and calls will be discontinued after May 8, 2026.
- Users with encrypted threads will get in‑app instructions to download photos, videos, and messages before Meta deletes that content.
- Downloading protected chats may require installing the latest version of the Instagram app, according to the reports.
- The encryption option was a limited, optional rollout over roughly five years and never reached all regions or users.
- Once the feature is removed, Instagram messages will no longer be end‑to‑end encrypted, allowing Meta to access content subject to its policies and legal requests.