Which Messages Will Be Encrypted? Do My Friends Have to Use This Too?

Do I use all my messages in the secure compose now, or can I use the other compose as well? I’m unsure how the encryption works. Do I need to tell my friends to get the encryption thing too? Or does this encrypt all messages to and from people either way?

For each message, you get to choose if you want it encrypted or not. If you want the message encrypted, use the Secure Compose option. Otherwise, use the regular one.

You can send an encrypted email to anyone, but it’s more convenient if the other side has encryption set up as well. If they don’t, you’ll need to add a password to protect the message, and the other person will need that password to open your email content. This is too cumbersome for regular communication, but appropriate if you need to send something sensitive.

You can make a decision based on the following:

• If you know both of you use encryption, you’d use the Secure Compose option, because it’s just as convenient and it’s encrypted.
• If you’re sending something sensitive, you’d better use the Secure Compose option, even if the other person doesn’t have encryption set up, and then communicate a password to them to decrypt and open the email.
• For everything else, you should use the regular compose option.