Instagram will stop supporting end-to-end encryption in May, and affected messages may need to be downloaded beforehand.

A Meta spokesperson told PCMag it opted to remove the feature, which has proved controversial in the past, because ‘very few people were opting in to end-to-end encrypted messaging in DMs.’ ...

Instagram direct messages are protected by end-to-end encryption. But in the next few weeks, all of that changes.

Meta will end Instagram E2EE chats May 8, 2026, reversing a 2021 privacy test and reigniting debate over encrypted messaging oversight.

Meta’s photo-sharing platform Instagram will stop supporting end-to-end encrypted messages starting May 8, according to an update on its support page. The change requires users who ...