Recently, I was chatting with someone via Facebook Messenger on MacOS when I received a warning that the messages couldn't be encrypted in Safari and I should use a different browser or the Facebook Messenger app. 

More how-tos

• How to set up and use Meta's Threads as a Windows 11 desktop app
• 3 essential Windows tools for troubleshooting (and how to use them)
• How to use iOS 17's 'Live Voicemail' transcriptions, and which iPhones support it
• Bing Chat now has the highly-requested dark mode. Here's how to turn it on

Naturally, this piqued my curiosity. I was using the latest version of Safari on the latest version of MacOS Monterey. I checked the official Facebook page on what browsers were supported for end-to-end encryption and, sure enough, Safari was on the list along with Chrome and Firefox. 

However, there's a caveat. 

Although both Chrome and Firefox support end-to-end encrypted chats on facebook.com, Safari only supports end-to-end encryption when using messenger.com. 

Also: What's the most popular web browser

This struck me as odd because Safari on facebook.com offers the option for the encryption of individual chats.

So, what gives? Even after clicking to enable end-to-end encryption in Safari on facebook.com, it indicates that the chat is encrypted.

Is this a case of mistaken identity, or is Facebook not aware that the feature does in fact work in Safari on both facebook.com and messenger.com?

Either way, I want to offer you a few options so you can be sure your Facebook chats are covered with end-to-end encryption.

But first