Secret Conversations

A secret conversation in Messenger is end-to-end encrypted and intended just for you and the person you’re talking to.

Keep in mind that you may be asked to turn on Secret Conversations in a new window. If this happens, tap Secret Conversations on the window to turn it on and then continue.

Secret conversations are currently only available in the Messenger app on iOS and Android, so they won't appear on Facebook chat or messenger.com.

With secret conversations, you can send:

Secret conversations don't support:

A secret conversation in Messenger is encrypted end-to-end, which means the messages are intended just for you and the other person—not anyone else, including us. Keep in mind that the person you're messaging could choose to share the conversation with others (ex: a screenshot). Learn how to start a secret conversation.

If you think a message you've received in a secret conversation goes against our Community Standards, you can report it. Learn more about what a secret conversation is.

When you report a secret conversation, recent messages from that conversation will be decrypted and sent securely from your device to our Help Team for review. We won't tell the person you're talking to that you reported it.

Community Standards violations can include bullying or harassment, threats and sexual violence or exploitation. Keep in mind that not everything that may be upsetting violates our Community Standards. If someone is bothering you in a secret conversation on Messenger, you can always block them on Messenger. You can also block them on Facebook.

Note: People in secret conversations can set messages to disappear. You can report messages for a short time after they've disappeared.

Learn more about Facebook safety tools and resources. If you ever feel like you or someone you know is in immediate danger, contact your local law enforcement.

Both you and the other person in the secret conversation have device keys that you can use to verify that the messages are end-to-end encrypted. You can see your device keys on any device where you're using secret conversations. Each of your devices will have its own device keys.

To verify the conversation is encrypted, compare the device key that appears under your friend's name with the their keys on their device to make sure they match.You can compare devices in person, or via screenshot.

Example: On your device, your friend Anna's device keys are 123. On Anna's device, her keys should also be 123.

A secret conversation in Messenger is encrypted end-to-end, which means the messages are meant only for you and the other person and not anyone else, including us.

You can use more than one mobile device for secret conversations. To add a new device, just install the Messenger app and sign into Messenger on that device.

When you sign into a new mobile device:

Learn how to start a secret conversation. You can also set messages to disappear in a secret conversation.

You can delete all secret conversations on your device at once. Keep in mind that deleting a message or conversation from your device won't delete it from your friend's device. You can't delete sent or received messages from someone else's device.

To delete all secret conversations from your device:

If you start a secret conversation with someone you already have a regular Messenger conversation with, you'll see two different conversations in your mobile app. Secret conversations have a padlock icon by the person's profile picture.

Learn how to start a secret conversation on the Messenger app for mobile.