Facebook Messenger gets end-to-end encryption by default and a slew of new features

Meta announced a slew of new features coming to Facebook Messenger and in case you are not seeing the changes yet, it's probably a staged rollout, so wait for a couple of days. Perhaps the most notable change is the end-to-end encryption by default.

From now on, all your private messages are encrypted and only you and your recipient can read those messages. That's a big step in the right direction, as most competing messengers, not just the privacy-oriented ones, are already offering end-to-end encryption.

In addition to the encryption, you can now edit messages (a long-awaited feature), send disappearing messages, hide your read receipt, so people can't see when you've read their message and there are some improvements to voice messaging. For instance, you can listen at 1.5x or 2x speed and continue listening to messages where you left off last time. There's a catch with the message editing, though - you can only do so with messages within 15 minutes of sending.

Photo and video quality get a boost and Meta is now testing HD photos and videos with a small group of users before making the changes worldwide.

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