Over the years, apps owned by Meta have faced significant criticism over questionable privacy practices, and Instagram is no exception. Now, the platform is taking steps to boost the security of your Direct Messages, though it comes with some implications.
Instagram’s Security Upgrades Come with Implications
I recently spotted a banner in the Direct Messages section of Instagram. This notification states that “some messages may be unavailable after June 23, 2025.”
If you’re someone who attaches sentimental value to your messages, this notice might understandably raise some concerns. However, there’s not much to stress about. By clicking the Learn More button, you’ll be directed to an Instagram Support page that clarifies:
Instagram is enhancing security, and some older end-to-end encrypted chats may no longer be available after June 23, 2025.
End-to-end encryption is a crucial security feature that ensures only you and the message sender can read the content. This means that not even Meta has access to your messages.
Keep in mind, end-to-end encryption isn’t activated by default on Instagram. To enable it for your DMs on iOS or Android, go to your Direct Messages, open a new or existing chat, tap the recipient’s name at the top, then select Privacy & Safety and tap Use end-to-end encryption.
It’s curious that Instagram is choosing to remove some older end-to-end encrypted chats, especially considering the vague explanation provided in the support article.
While improving security is a positive shift, I didn’t anticipate that it would involve the removal of certain chats, regardless of their age.
Preserve Your Instagram Chats Before Time Runs Out
The silver lining is that Instagram allows you to save any affected conversations until the deadline. According to the platform:
Please note that if you are using an older version of Instagram, you may need to update the app first.
A View Chats button will appear in the notification banner, leading you to a page showing all your end-to-end encrypted chats that will be inaccessible after June 23, 2025. Personally, none of my chats were impacted, as no conversations showed up in that section for me.
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According to Instagram’s support article, “there will be information in the chat on how you can download any media or messages you want to preserve.” Follow the on-screen instructions to export your chat, and you’ll be good to go.
Initially, when I encountered this notification, it reminded me of a technical issue Instagram had last year, which caused some images and videos saved in the Stories Archive to be permanently lost. Although Instagram fixed the bug, those lost Stories were never recoverable. It was disappointing, as I relied on Instagram’s Archives to keep my memories safe.
This time, at least Instagram is providing advance notice and a chance to save your memories.
