Instagram users who opted for extra privacy in their DMs may want to start saving those conversations.
Meta plans to shut down end-to-end encrypted messaging for Instagram direct messages beginning May 8, 2026. The company says users with encrypted conversations will receive in-app instructions on how to download messages and media before the feature disappears.
The move removes an optional security layer that allowed Instagram users to send messages and make calls that only participants in a conversation could read or hear.
While the feature was introduced as part of Meta’s push toward private messaging, the company now says adoption has been limited. The change highlights the ongoing tension between privacy protections and safety oversight on major social platforms.
Meta cites low usage of encrypted DMs
Meta confirmed the decision in an Instagram help document and statements to media outlets.
“End-to-end encrypted messaging on Instagram will no longer be supported after May 8, 2026,” the company said in its official documentation.
The company added that affected users will receive instructions within the app explaining how to download messages and media they want to keep before the feature disappears.
“If you have chats that are impacted by this change, you will see instructions on how you can download any media or messages you may want to keep,” Meta said in the document.
In a statement to The Verge, Meta spokesperson Dina El-Kassaby Luce said the app is disconnecting the feature because “very few people” were using E2EE in their DMs.
“Anyone who wants to keep messaging with end-to-end encryption can easily do that on WhatsApp,” El-Kassaby Luce added.
Instagram has already begun notifying impacted users in the app and directing them to download encrypted conversations before the cutoff date.
A short-lived experiment in encrypted messaging
According to The Hacker News, Meta began testing end-to-end encryption for Instagram direct messages in 2021 as part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “privacy-focused vision for social networking.”
The feature was not enabled by default and was available only in certain regions. The Hacker News noted that Meta later expanded access to encrypted messaging for adult users following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
End-to-end encryption protects conversations by locking messages on the sender’s device so that only devices participating in the chat can decrypt them. Meta’s documentation also mentioned that each device in a conversation holds a special key used to secure messages and calls.
“No one can read your messages or hear your calls except the people who have these special keys — not even Meta,” the company said.
Encrypted messaging has become a central feature for privacy-focused communication apps such as WhatsApp and Signal.
Encryption remains a flashpoint in tech policy debates
The shutdown also arrives amid broader debates about encryption and platform safety.
Supporters of end-to-end encryption argue it protects users from surveillance, data breaches, and unauthorized access to private conversations. However, law enforcement and child safety advocates have raised concerns that encrypted communications can make it harder for platforms to detect criminal activity.
The Hacker News highlighted that encryption has also been criticized by authorities who say it prevents companies from complying with warrants seeking message content.
Meanwhile, governments and regulators in several regions continue finding ways to balance strong encryption with lawful access to data for investigations.
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