If you’ve been using WhatsApp today – and I bet you almost certainly have – then you might have noticed this message pop up on your screen:

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I doubt many of you bothered to tap it for more info, so here’s the lowdown on what it actually means – basically it’s going to be very, very difficult for anyone to access your WhatsApp messages from now on unless they have full access to your phone. That’s good news for everyone right?

Here’s what WhatsApp themselves have to say about it:

From now on when you and your contacts use the latest version of the app, every call you make, and every message, photo, video, file, and voice message you send, is end-to-end encrypted by default, including group chats.

The idea is simple: when you send a message, the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to. No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us.

In an age where everyone is worried about leaks and spying, this is welcome news. Previously, some WhatsApp messages were encrypted but not all of them, but that isn’t going to be a problem anymore. Result.

To make the most out of WhatsApp, here are five new features that they recently introduced that you might have missed.