Instagram’s 3 billion users worldwide will no longer be able to use end-to-end encrypted direct messages, after Meta quietly discontinued the feature on the platform.
Meta first introduced its “E2EE” encrypted messaging technology to Messenger in 2023 as a default setting before later expanding it to Instagram as an optional feature. The system allowed users to keep conversations private from Meta and other third parties.
But in March, the company confirmed it would not continue supporting encrypted Instagram DMs, stating on its Support page that “end-to-end encrypted messages on Instagram will no longer be supported after May 8, 2026.”
Under the updated system, Instagram messages will instead fall under standard encryption protocols, giving service and network providers potential access to message data.
A Meta spokesperson said the company removed the feature because of low user adoption.
While end-to-end encryption remains available on Messenger and WhatsApp, the move has been welcomed by child safety advocates concerned that encrypted messaging can make harmful activity harder to detect.
“We are really pleased,” NSPCC’s Rani Govender told the BBC, adding that E2EE “can allow perpetrators to evade detection, enabling the grooming and abuse of children to go unseen.”
