WhatsApp: Confirm security number - it does it
Since WhatsApp introduced end-to-end encryption, the message "Confirm security number" appears in many chats. In this article we reveal what this message is about and how you can make your chat more secure.
WhatsApp: Confirm security number
For some versions, WhatsApp has been using so-called end-to-end encryption. This ensures that your messages are securely encrypted before being sent so that nobody (not even WhatsApp itself) can read the texts. Only your chat partner has the code required to decrypt it.
- WhatsApp automatically assigned these codes to each of your chats. The problem: If your counterpart changes their cell phone or reinstall WhatsApp, for example, the encryption code can change. Then the end-to-end encryption would no longer work.
- In order to ensure that the encryption code of your mobile phone matches that of your chat partner, you should confirm the security numbers.
- You can either meet your counterpart and scan the QR code displayed in the chat or exchange the 60-digit number. If this is identical on both devices, the messages are securely encrypted.
- Important: The confirmation of the security number is only an optional control of the encryption. Even without matching the code, your messages are usually secure.
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In the next article, we'll tell you how to set up and use WhatsApp encryption correctly.