Skype teased a new feature at the beginning of the year, announcing that it was testing out the ability for users to encrypt their conversations end-to-end, akin to WhatsApp.

Now the messaging platform is readying to release the feature to all its users, with MSPowerUser noting that it will be available with Open Whisper Systems’ Signal Protocol facilitating the process.

The end-to-end encryption is said to be available to all versions of Skype, including iOS, Android, Linux, Mac and of course Windows.

That said, we have not seen it pop up on any of the versions of Skype we’re using in the office, so it may still be a case of an update that needs to roll out to users to access the encryption’s functionality.

When the feature does reach your OS of choice, one can begin a Private Conversation by selecting the “New Private Conversation” button in the compose menu, or in the intended recipients profile.

From there, the recipient will receive an opt-in notification and if accepted all messages shared in the conversation will be fully encrypted, according to Open Whisper Systems.

Whether this new feature will improve Skype’s popularity remains to be seen.

With WhatsApp finding more footing in the workplace thanks to its encryption capabilities, perhaps this new function in Skype will help it steal some users away from the Facebook-owned messaging service.