After announcing end-to-end encrypted chat backups last month, WhatsApp has started rolling out the long-awaited feature on iOS for beta testers. With this feature, you can safely backup your chats on iCloud and protect them with a password. That said, do keep in mind that you will need this password to restore your cloud backup.
Once your backup is end-to-end encrypted, no one except you can access the backup and that includes Apple and WhatsApp. As WhatsApp detailed in a blog post, the feature lets users utilize a 64-digit encryption key or a password to retrieve the key from the HSM-based Backup Key Vault. According to WhatsApp, the Backup Key Vault has a brute-force prevention mechanism that renders the key permanently inaccessible after a limited number of unsuccessful retrieval attempts.
If you are on WhatsApp’s TestFlight program for iOS, you can check if you have the encrypted chat backups feature from Settings -> Chats -> Chat Backup -> End-to-end Encrypted Backup. We will also be publishing a guide with all the details you need to know to use encrypted chat backups soon.
