Secret conversation or end to end encrypted chat has been added in most of the messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger chat, Instagram chat, Google Messages and Telegram.
Most of the applications are using this feature to ensure their users for trusted chat.
But in some cases you may need to turn off the encrypted chat. Here we will discuss the process of disabling secret conversation one by one.
Related: How to end secret conversation on Messenger?
Secret conversation in Messenger, Instagram and Google Messages – What is it?
E2E encryption is an advanced method of protection of data. It is an advanced feature in most of the messaging apps to ensure the security of data from unauthorized access.
When 2 persons start E2E protected chat then the recipient’s public key is used by the app to encrypt it.
This ensures that the recipient who has the corresponding private key will be able to read the decrypted message only.
On the arrival of the message on the recipient’s device his private key is used to decrypt the ciphertext into plain text.
Benefits of enabling end to end encryption in Messenger, Instagram messages and Google Messages
There are multiple benefits of having E2E encryption enabled on your chat and the most important key feature of it is the security of messages.
Privacy and protection of data
As the encrypted messages can only be read by the sender and the receiver, it makes the conversation protected. Your chat is private and highly secured.
No one outside can read your messages even the service providers or the app owners can see what you are texting.
Trust on the conversation
It makes two persons to interest on the conversation to make it feel more secure.
Knowing that their conversation is secure fosters trust and confidence among users.
Protection against interception
As there is much fear of conversation to be go viral especially when you are talking about the private matters. It becomes more important to protect it from unauthorised access.
E2E encryption does the same thing by protecting your messages from interception.
Drawbacks of end to end encryption
As there are many benefits of E2E encryption, however there are also some drawbacks of using it.
We know well its benefits are more than its cons. However the most common bad thing is the lack of law enforcement departments to access the secret conversation.
Law enforcement concerns
Think, you are chatting with someone and want to make your conversation without E2E encryption so that law enforcement agencies can access the desired data for investigation.
That is the turn because they will not be able to read your conversation in that case. It Increases concerns and gives bad people a way to do bad things under their eyes.
Limited support for users
As the process of encryption is difficult because the message has to be encrypted and decrypted on the relevant devices and go through the algorithmic process.
That is why many of the conversational apps lack this feature.
Misuse of this tech
Even E2E encryption is a very good feature. Some individuals and groups use it as a malicious intent to make it difficult for the state authorities to monitor the conversation between criminals which are performing bad activities through encrypted channels.
How to disable Secret Conversation in Messenger?
General conversation on Facebook is encrypted by some layers of encryption but for enhanced encrypted conversation Facebook Messenger app now has the option to start encrypted chat with others.
You can easily disable end to end encryption in Facebook Messenger chat by tapping on the lock icon located on the upper right corner.
Launch your Facebook Messenger app
First of all you will have to log in to your Facebook Messenger account. You will get all of these updated features in the Messenger app. That is why you should login to your account on the app.
Start a chat on Messenger
After successful login you will have all of your friends in front of you on the Messenger. You can start chatting with any of them by just tapping on the profile of any of your friends under the chats tab.
Disable the end to end encryption in Messenger chat
If you are chatting with someone on messenger with end to end encrypted feature enabled then you will see a lock icon in the upper right corner of the chat page. But this is not necessarily the case because the lock icon will only be visible if you have started an encrypted group chat with that of your friend.
If you have opened direct chat with that person and started the encrypted chat then the lock icon will not appear.
It means there will be 2 ways to disable the end to end encryption in Messenger chat.
- Disabling E2E encryption in Messenger Group chat
- Disabling E2E encryption in chat with a single person
The steps for disabling end to end encryption in messenger group chat are very easy:
- Tap on the small lock icon in the upper right corner
- When you will toggle the button off it will show you general conversation
Now coming towards the second method which will work in the case if you have enabled the encrypted chat manually for one person.
If the lock icon is shown on the conversation page then you can easily turn off the encrypted chat but if that icon is not showing then you have to go back to the main page from the chat and tap on the profile of the person you want to have chat with. Now it will start normal chat.
How to enable the end 2 end encryption in Messenger?
You can enable end 2 end encryption on Messenger by to ways:
By starting a group chat
By starting the chat with only one person
In the first method you simply have to tap on the pencil icon located in the upper right on the Chats page and then tap on the profiles of the persons you want to start with encrypted group chats. You will see the text “End to end encrypted” on the chat after the encryption is enabled.
The other method is: open the normal chat >> tap on the i icon in the upper right corner >> scroll down and tap on “Go to secret conversation”.
Is end to end encryption enabled on Messenger chat by default?
No, E2E encryption is not the default feature in Messenger chat. You will have to launch an encrypted chat yourself by starting the secret conversation on Messenger.
Can I disable end 2 end encryption on Messenger for bulk?
The only way to enable this feature for bulk is to open a secret E2E encrypted chat which means that only an Encrypted group chat on Messenger will launch the secret conversation with more than one friend.
Similarly, it implies that you can disable E2E encryption for bulk only if you are in the group chat while encryption is on. For disabling it you can tap on the lock icon and toggle of the button.
Are there other ways to use as an alternative to end 2 end encryption on messenger?
Messenger chat is safe and that is why you don’t need an extra encrypted feature for this.
However you can start a normal chat on Messenger with your friends without opening the secret conversation or you can disable the encryption if you don’t want to use it.
How to disable end 2 end encryption in Google Messages?
Google messages has also added the feature of encrypted chat. The simplest way to disable the end 2 end encryption on Messages is to disable the RCS chat on Messages.
RCS chat on Messages and end to end encryption
RCS chat is the enhanced newly introduced feature in Google Messages which has all of its messages encrypted on both ends.
It means when you are chatting with someone on Messages your texts are encrypted and you can see this on the chat which is showing text “Your chat is end to end encrypted”.
Open RCS chat settings
First of all you have to open your Messages app. Then open a chat and tap on the three dots in the upper right corner. Tap on the “Details” option.
Disable encrypted conversation on Messages
On the “Details” page you will see end to end encryption status is on.
Now under the options tab you have to click on the button in front of “Only send as text” option.
After you toggle it on it will show you encryption status off.
How to disable secret conversation on Telegram?
As a first step open the secret chat you want to end on Telegram. Tap on the three dots icon and click on “Confirm Delete chat” option.
Now you can open a new chat and this chat will not be encrypted unless you start another secret chat.
Can I disable end to end encryption on Messages for bulk?
You can disable it for only one person at one time. You can not perform this action in bulk. You will have to do it manually one by one.
Is encrypted conversation set as default on Google Messages?
No, this is not the case. Sometimes RCS chat starts at the beginning of every conversation but it does not necessarily start for every conversation.
How can I enable the end 2 end encryption on Google messages on android or iPhone?
The only way to enable E2E encryption on Google messages is to start RCS chat. When you open RCS chat with someone you are actually starting the encrypted conversation.
How to disable end to end encryption on Instagram chats?
You can disable the encrypted chat on Instagram chat and the method for this is not different from other 2 methods discussed above.
Instagram has not added the feature to disable the E2E chat once you start it with someone. However, there are some other methods which can help you.
You can either delete that encrypted conversation and start a new conversation or you can clear cache and data of the Instagram app and login again to your Instagram account.
Does Instagram vanish mode has something to do with end to end encryption.
No, Both features are different. In vanish mode your messages will disappear after some time and it does not have to do anything similar with the encrypted Instagram chat.