I've only been on FB for a few months and I only use it to connect with people I know.

Yesterday I got an end-to-end encrypted message from someone I would dearly love to reconnect with, but I can't for the life of me work out how to read the message because I don't understand how the encryption works.

Can someone help me?

Sure. I just helped a friend who somehow missed the end to end encryption changes some time ago. Since, I'm not exactly sure how your FB account is set up or if you are using the app on a phone or accessing through a web browser, see if anything in this link helps.

https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/1084673321594605/

What I see on my phone differs from what i see on my laptop, which makes it doubly confusing, and I don't need to sign in on my phone but I do, apparently on my laptop. Sometimes I get asked for a passkey and other times I don't. I don't really understand what triggers that.

One of the problems I have is that the online instructions lead me to a Settings option that does NOT show up.

Everyone of my older friends say their children helped them set up their FB pages.


EDIT: Those instruction pages just seem like a wall of words to me. I have a PIN set up, but that still doesn't seem to allow me access to encrypted messages.

When I try to set up a way to access my message history, the app tries to force me into using Google Drive? Is that the usual way?

Yes, what you see on your phone will be different because that is the Facebook app. What you see on your laptop is not an app, but rather the Facebook website with a .com URL. I only use FB on my computer through a browser, and I only need to sign in if I have signed myself out. Once I am signed in, I don't need to sign in again.

So, which are you using to try to access this message in Messenger?

Let me check on the Google Drive thing - I can't remember.

EDIT: An AI generated response...


You do not have to use Google Drive for Messenger secure storage — it’s just one of the available options.

With Facebook Messenger’s new end‑to‑end encryption rollout, encrypted chat history is stored in a “secure storage” system. This lets you restore your messages and media if you switch devices or lose your phone. You can access secure storage in two main ways:

Set up a 6‑digit PIN — This is stored locally on your device and only you can access it.

Store a virtual key in Google Drive or iCloud — This is a cloud‑based backup option, but you can choose either service.

If you use Google Drive, your key is stored there, but Google and Apple’s servers do not store your messages — only the encrypted key is saved in your chosen cloud account Reddit. You can also back up your Messenger data manually via Facebook’s “Download your information” tool, which includes HTML‑formatted messages and photos MobiKin.

Bottom line:

You can use Google Drive, iCloud, or a PIN — no requirement to use Google Drive.

If you want to keep your backup in the cloud, Google Drive is an option, but it’s not mandatory.

If you prefer local storage, a PIN is the simplest method.

For maximum flexibility, you can set up both a PIN and a cloud backup (Google Drive or iCloud) so you have multiple recovery options.