WhatsApp is one of the most popular mobile messaging apps. While it offers a secure chat platform (debatable), there is little or no native security provided for accessing the app. Thankfully, WhatsApp updates are catching up with modern phones to offer fingerprint authentication for access.
WhatsApp has rolled out several updates on the iOS and Android platforms, most of which are limited to beta versions. That means only some users who sign up and participate in their developer beta program for both platforms will be able to access and use the features in these updates on devices. be eligible.
Among the series of updates is the ability to secure WhatsApp chats with fingerprint authentication.
It’s been about six months since the Facebook-owned social messaging app introduced biometric authentication for iOS models. That feature works by implementing native Touch ID or Face ID.
Android users will be happy to know that it is now available on the platform as well. Like iOS, similar rumors have been circulating around bringing the same layer of authentication to it.
How WhatsApp fingerprint authentication works
For iPhone users, this feature is available in the stable WhatsApp build channel. It works like a Signal or Outlook key, except WhatsApp doesn’t provide additional security for individual conversations within the app.
To use WhatsApp Fingerprint authentication on your Android device, you must be enrolled in the WhatsApp Android beta program and have version 2.19.
Note
However, you may not see this feature even after updating the app. In this case, you need to backup your chat history, then reinstall WhatsApp to get the latest configuration from the server.
The only other option is to wait until the feature is enabled on your device. However, it must meet the eligibility requirements.
If you can enable the feature for your Android device, you can open WhatsApp with your phone’s fingerprint sensor. In addition, you can still answer calls and reply to messages from notifications when the app is locked without requiring biometric authentication.
In this guide, we will show you how to secure your chats on iOS and Android platforms. With that, you can stay away from snoopers who will pry into your private life or open your chats at random.
iPhone: Lock Screen
It’s easy to set up Fingerprint Lock via biometric authentication on your iPhone, but first, make sure you have an eligible device with iOS 8.0 or later. Enabling this feature means you’ll also have to re-authenticate yourself every time you open WhatsApp, even if your iPhone is unlocked.
Step 1: Launch WhatsApp from your home screen.
Step 2: Click Settings and then select Accounts.
Step 3: Tap Privacy to open the menu.
Step 4: Scroll down and tap Lock screen and turn it on. If your device has Face ID, your face unlocks chats, while Touch ID is enabled for the app. For this guide, I outlined the steps to use Touch ID because I haven’t upgraded my iPhone. However, if you see both options, you can choose either option to unlock the chats.
Step 5: From the Lock Screen menu, choose how long you want WhatsApp to wait before having to log in again. This can be a period of 1, 15, or 60 minutes of activity. However, you can choose “instant” because logging in with your face or fingerprint is easy.
Now, every time you want to unlock the app, touch the fingerprint sensor and it will unlock the app.
Android: Fingerprint Lock
To use WhatsApp Fingerprint authentication for Android, check if you are using version 2.19.221 before trying to enable the setting. If you signed up for the Android beta program, update or uninstall WhatsApp and then reinstall it to enable the feature on your device.
Step 1: Once you have the correct WhatsApp version, launch the app and open Settings
Step 2: Click on Account
Step 3: Tap Privacy
Step 4: Scroll down to the Fingerprint Lock option and tap on it. That will enable the feature on your device.
Step 5: You can choose how long you want the lock to work when activated by selecting “immediately” or choosing between 1 or 30 minute intervals. When you install this feature for the first time, WhatsApp will show you a prompt. Basically, that prompt asks you to confirm if you want to use your device’s fingerprint sensor to unlock or lock apps. Then tap your registered finger once on the sensor to confirm and activate it.
Your WhatsApp chats are now secured with a fingerprint lock.
Your chats may be secure from prying eyes, but the app is not completely locked. That means people can still see the content of the message when the notification pops up, but you can prevent this with the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Settings on your device
Step 2: On Android, open Notifications, scroll down and tap WhatsApp>Show Notifications to disable preview.
For iPhone, go to Settings>Notifications>WhatsApp and switch Allow Notifications to off/white to hide them. This way, no one can see or reply to your chats outside of WhatsApp without your biometric authentication.
Note:
The downside to this is that you won’t be able to read the messages at a glance, but that’s a trade-off if you really want to keep your chats secret.
Improved chat security
Fingerprint authentication does not work for WhatsApp calls. That’s because you can’t force it to verify your face or fingerprint before accepting a voice or video call. Likewise, it doesn’t lock chats on an individual basis but it’s still a big security improvement for WhatsApp.
That’s how you can secure your WhatsApp chats with fingerprint authentication.
Next up: Wondering how to archive inactive WhatsApp chats so you don’t have to scroll as much? We wrote a nifty guide to the WhatsApp chat archive feature.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
