There is no shortage of reasons why WhatsApp is so popular, but the service’s focus on user privacy has to be one of the most important. With end-to-end encrypted messages, app users can be confident that their messages are directed directly into the eyes of the recipient, without the risk of peeking along the way. Now Facebook is talking about its plans to take this kind of protection to its logical next step, as end-to-end encryption expands to cover WhatsApp backups.

We’ve been hearing rumors about this support for a long time now, and while it seemed clear that progress was being made, we still didn’t have an official take on what exactly we could hope for, or how it would work. . .

Basically, here we are looking at two options. Whichever you choose, your backup is encrypted with a unique customer-generated key before being uploaded to a cloud host like Google Drive or Apple’s iCloud. Users who are particularly concerned about the privacy of their data will likely choose to store the 64-digit key themselves, which they will then need to provide again when using the app to retrieve their backup.

Opt for ultimate security by keeping your own 64-digit encryption key …

… or adopt a trusted HSM and use an easy-to-remember password of your choice.

If this sounds like a recipe for data loss to you, there is also a much more manageable option. Here, this bulky encryption key is stored in a cloud-based hardware security module, which you then secure with a convenient password that you decide for yourself.

That’s the gist – pretty straightforward, and it’s nice to see options here that give users control over how they want to balance privacy and security, even when we’re just talking about backups. Look for the feature that’s finally coming to phones over the next few weeks.