How-To

How to Use Secret Conversations on Facebook Messenger

By Brian Burgess

Last Updated on September 14, 2022

Want to keep your Facebook conversations private from snoopers? You can use Secret Conversations on Messenger to do just that. This guide explains how.

While Facebook isn’t known as being the best steward of your data, it’s been improving over the years. One feature you might want to check out is Secret Conversations. This will ensure your messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted, which the sender and receiver can access.

The Secret Conversation feature encrypts your message or calls when you send them. The content is only encrypted on the receiver’s phone. If you like the idea of encrypting your messages and calls, here’s how to use Secret Conversations on Facebook Messenger.

How to Use Secret Conversations on Facebook Messenger

It’s important to know that Facebook Messenger’s secret conversations feature only works on the mobile version of Facebook. You cannot use it on the web version.

Both users of Secret Conversations will need to be running the latest version of the app, so make sure to update iPhone apps or update apps on Android manually before you begin.

To use Secret Conversations on Facebook, do the following:

1. Launch Facebook Messenger and sign in if you aren’t already. If you don’t have it yet, download Messenger to your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.
2. Start a new conversation by tapping the pencil icon in the top-right corner.
3. Tap the switch icon in the top-right corner to enable the Secret Conversations feature.
4. After Secret Conversations is on, select the contact to whom you want to send the message.
5. When the new chat window appears, start sending your messages or making a video call as you normally do. The conversation will be end-to-end encrypted.
6. If you want to delete a secret chat with someone, tap the “i” icon in the top-right corner of the chat screen.
7. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap on the Delete chat option.

Keeping Facebook Secure

The Secret Conversations end-to-end security feature is yet another way to help protect your data on Facebook. Again, both users need to be using a phone with recent updates for the app.

Still worried about privacy and security on Facebook? Make sure to change your Facebook security settings to lock things down. If you’re concerned about putting too much data on the site over the years, you can download pictures, videos, and all other data from Facebook.

In addition, one thing you need to do is enable two-factor authentication on Facebook. It’s also important to note that you can delete your Facebook account but keep Messenger. If you’re dealing with a problematic friend or other contacts, you can also mute someone on Facebook.