Ensuring the security and privacy of our communications is more important than ever, and this is where Contact Key Verification (CKV) comes into play in the Messages app on our iPhone, iPad, or Mac. This feature allows us to verify the authenticity of conversations, their integrity—and that no one is listening without our consent—and ensure that we are communicating with the right people.
Improving the security of our conversations almost automatically
Contact Key Verification is a security feature that, when activated, provides us with automatic alerts if new devices are added to a conversation. This feature is of great value in keeping our conversations private and secure, as it ensures that only devices authorized by our contacts can receive our messages.
Additionally, by activating this verification, we have a contact hash that we can verify through other means with our contact to confirm, indeed, that we are speaking with the person in question. A second verification that, although not usually necessary, can be key in certain circumstances.
To use Contact Key Verification and enhance the security of our conversations, it is necessary that all our devices are updated to iOS or iPadOS 17.2, macOS 14.2, or watchOS 10.2 or later. Then, activating CKV is as easy as following these steps:
- Open the Settings app on our iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
- Tap on our name at the top.
- At the bottom, tap Contact Key Verification.
- Enable the Verification in Messages option.
- If needed, copy the public key verification code and publish or send it so that others can verify that they are indeed writing to us.
Contact Key Verification is another piece to enhance our security and privacy. A tool to secure our conversations and check that we are speaking with who we really should be without having to do anything more than activate the corresponding option. A tool that will not be necessary in many cases, certainly, but when it is, it will allow us greater peace of mind in our communications.
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