What this article covers:

End-to-end encryption for audio and video (E2EE A/V) on Discord makes your calls even more private and secure by default. This added layer of security for audio and video calls gives visual confirmation that no one else can listen in on your calls or watch your stream besides the intended participants/viewers.

Note: All audio and video conversations in direct messages (DMs), group messages (GDMs), voice channels, and Go Live streams on Discord will soon be end-to-end encrypted by default.

Below explains how to verify that a call is end-to-end encrypted and how to confirm that the people who you are on a call with are verified too.

Note: Desktop and mobile calls between users with updated clients are end-to-end encrypted without any user action. The features described in this article do not “turn on” end-to-end encryption. We developed these features to show our work and help you confirm that our end-to-end encryption is functioning as intended.

How to Verify That a Call is End-to-End Encrypted

You can verify that your voice call on Discord is end-to-end encrypted by checking the Voice/Video Details of the call.

On the desktop app, open the Voice/Video Details in the bottom left corner of the app to see a new Privacy tab, as well as a green lock icon stating that your call is End-to-end encrypted.

On the mobile app, you can find that green lock icon while in a voice call by pressing on the voice channel name in the top left corner of the focused voice call view.

The Privacy tab contains the Voice Privacy Code for the call. Privacy codes can be compared with other voice call participants to confirm that everyone in the call sees the same code. Comparing codes should occur out-of-band, for example on a different communication platform.

Note: Privacy codes are long so we split them up into groups of five digits to make them easier to read.

Privacy codes update when participants join or leave calls, so these codes must be compared at the same time with all current call participants in order to verify that the call is end-to-end encrypted.

Each Go Live stream associated with a call also has a Stream Privacy Code that can be accessed via the context menu for the stream, which you can find by right-clicking directly on the Go Live stream and selecting it from the dropdown menu.

By verifying the privacy code for the voice call or for any Go Live stream in the call, you can confirm that all participants have the same encrypted view of the call and that no unexpected participants have joined the call.

How to Verify Participants on a Call

Whether you’re on a call with your best friend, or a group of people in a voice channel on your favorite server, you can choose to verify the identity of the people you’re on a call with for an additional layer of privacy assurance.

1. Navigate to “View Verification Code”.

On Desktop, right click on the user in the voice call members list or right click on their tile in the call view and select View Verification Code from the dropdown menu.
On Mobile, open the user's profile either from the call member list or by long pressing on their call tile and then select View Verification Code.

2. You will then see a series of numbers that should match for both you and the person you’re on a call with.

Note: When you show the Verification Code for another participant, you may see a warning if you have previously verified that participant and the code has changed.

3. Compare the codes out-of-band (via a different communication platform) with the person you’re speaking with.

4. If the codes are a match, then you can select Mark as Verified to confirm that you have successfully verified who you are chatting with.

Once you’ve verified each person in the call, a small icon will appear next to their name in the call to confirm this action is complete.

These codes are device-specific and change every time you join a new call with that person by default. With each new call, you will have to repeat the verification process.

You can opt-in to persistent verification keys to make the verification others perform of your given device permanent. More information on how to do this in the next section.

Note: Verification Codes are long so we split them up into groups of five digits to make them easier to read.

Persistent Verification Keys

To avoid repetitive verification each time you are on a call with the same person, you can enable persistent verification keys. If you have this setting enabled, people you’re speaking with will be able to remember your device and mark it as verified.

To enable persistent verification keys:

1. Navigate to User Settings, then select Privacy & Settings.

2. Select the Encryption tab, and toggle the Enable persistent verification codes

Considerations for setup:

For you to save a persistent verification key for the person you’re speaking with, they’ll need to have the Enable persistent verification codes setting enabled as well.
Persistent verification keys are tied to your device, not your user account. This means that if both you and a friend enable this setting, you’ll remain verified to each other every time you join a voice call from those devices.
If you log out and back in again on your device, you will lose access to any previously used persistent verification key on that device and others who previously persistently verified your device will see that you are unverified. If you want to use persistent verification keys, you will need to enable the Enable persistent verification codes setting again.

Someone you previously persistently verified may appear unverified when:

They’re using a different device than the one you persistently verified
They had to log in again on the device you persistently verified
Their persistent verification key was removed from local device storage
They are being impersonated by someone else

Managing Verified Devices

If you have verified other users with persistent verification codes enabled, you can manage these verified devices in your User Settings.

1. Navigate to User Settings, then select Privacy & Safety.

2. Select the Encryption tab where you’ll see Verified Devices.

a. On Desktop, select the Encryption tab.

b. On Mobile, select the End-to-end Encryption button on the User Settings tab.

Each user, along with their verified device(s), will be displayed. You can choose to remove the verification for a specific device, identified by the time it was verified, or remove all verifications for a specific user.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I know if my call is end-to-end encrypted?

A: You can verify that your call is end-to-end encrypted by checking for the green End-to-end encrypted lock icon in the Voice/Video Details on the desktop app or by pressing on the voice channel name details in the top left corner of the focused call view on mobile.

Q: When will E2EE A/V roll out to Discord web and consoles?

A: Starting September 2024, all updated desktop and mobile Discord clients will support E2EE A/V. Web and consoles will receive E2EE A/V support in 2025.

Q: Why is my call not end-to-end encrypted when I’m on an updated Discord app?

A: Your call may not be end-to-end encrypted because you may be on a call with someone who is not on an updated Discord app. In 2025, all DMs, GDMs, voice channels, and Go Live streams will require updated clients that support end-to-end encryption.

Q: Can I opt out of E2EE A/V?

A: E2EE A/V is enabled by default and cannot be turned off. E2EE A/V currently won’t apply to calls where an unsupported client (i.e., web and consoles) is being used by at least one user. Stage channels also will not be end-to-end encrypted.

Q: Will the preview of my Go Live stream now be private for users not yet in the call?

A: Stream previews – when you are able to see a snippet of an ongoing Go Live stream - are NOT end-to-end encrypted. This means that users not in a call with an ongoing stream may be able to see a preview of the stream. You can disable stream previews forever, or on a per-stream basis.

Q: Can I verify the end-to-end encryption status in Go Live streams?

A: Yes, each Go Live stream has a Stream Privacy Code that can be accessed via the context menu for the stream. You can compare this code out of band with other participants to verify that the stream is end-to-end encrypted.

Q: What happens if I change my device/log into my Discord account on a new device?

A: If you change your device and have persistent verification codes enabled, you will need to go through the verification process again as verification is tied to the specific device. Persistent verification keys must be re-enabled on a new device.