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

Instagram will discontinue end-to-end encrypted direct messages from 8 May 2026, meaning private chats will no longer have the same level of security.

The social media giant says that end-to-end encryption would make users less safe.

End-to-end encryption is known for keeping messages exclusively accessible by the sender and the receiver and vice versa. The feature may allow users to select the devices where their end-to-end encrypted messages appear as they may only designate one or multiple gadgets for it.