Instagram to discontinue end-to-end encryption support

Jakarta — Instagram will discontinue support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in its messaging service after 8 May 2026.

GSM Arena reported on Saturday that notification of this change was posted in Instagram’s Help Centre. According to the notification, end-to-end encrypted messages on Instagram will no longer be supported after 8 May 2026.

Users whose conversations are affected by this change will see instructions on how to download any media or messages they wish to save. The notification states: “If you are using an older version of Instagram, you may also need to update the application before you can download affected conversations.”

End-to-end encryption support ensures that only the sender and recipient can view or hear messages being sent. After this support is discontinued, Meta will be able to view and hear everything users send on Instagram, as will governments requesting user data from the platform.

Instagram’s Help Centre notes that for reporting and optional features, users or individuals involved in conversations may still choose to share messages with Meta.

Beyond Instagram, social media platform TikTok has also stated that its direct messaging feature does not include end-to-end encryption. TikTok has not implemented E2EE in its service because it believes doing so could potentially prevent security teams or law enforcement from reading messages when necessary to handle a case.

TikTok states that whilst messages sent through its application are not protected by end-to-end encryption, they remain protected by standard encryption. Only authorised employees can access messages if the application receives a request from authorities or receives a user report about harmful behaviour.