WhatsApp is offering iPhone users a brand-new way to secure their chats.
The latest free update adds support for passkey login, which relies on Face ID facial recognition or the Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the handset to unlock WhatsApp. This will prevent others from snooping on your conversations — even if your iPhone is unlocked.
Parent company Meta, which owns WhatsApp as well as Instagram, Facebook, and Meta VR headsets, added passkey login to millions of Android users in October 2023.
Passkeys are slowly gaining traction with the most popular websites and mobile apps. The technology is a new industry standard co-created by Apple, Microsoft, and Google that promises to unlock your online accounts without the need to type a password.
Instead, a supported device or app will check your identity using biometrics, like facial or fingerprint recognition, and then vouch for you to the website or mobile app that you’re trying to access. And that’s it.
If you pay using Apple Pay or Google Pay, check your bank balance on a mobile app, or unlock your PC using Windows Hello — you’re already used to the convenience of biometrics. Passkeys bring that same simplicity and security to every login. No more forgotten passwords scribbled on Sticky Notes or tapping the “Forgotten Password?” prompt to desperately attempt to reset your login for the umpteenth time.
Let’s be honest, traditional passwords are far from secure. They’re easily guessed and frequently stolen.
In the last few weeks alone, we’ve seen security researchers unearth the so-called “mother of all breaches”, with billions of stolen usernames and passwords for popular sites like LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Telegram, and Dropbox. Not only that, but hackers used credential stuffing to break into half a million Roku accounts and spend money using saved payment details.
Even if you’re fortunate enough not to be caught up in a data breach …you could be using a password that fraudsters already know. Passkeys are slowly being adopted by the biggest online services and applications, with Elon Musk enabling support on X for iPhone owners earlier this month.
WhatsApp has offered the ability to lock your chats with Face ID, Touch ID, or a secret code on iPhone for some time. Known as Chat Lock, this required you to set up (and remember) a separate PIN to unlock the conversations should the biometrics fail — only adding to the number of passwords you need to juggle in your memory at all times.
Passkey login improves on this solution as it ties into the password repository that you’re already using on your iPhone. There’s no need to remember another secret code, since if biometrics fail to recognise you, the backup password is the same one you’re using for your iPhone and Apple ID account.
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Speaking about the advantages, WhatsApp Head of Product, Alice Newton-Rex said: “Passkey verification will make logging back into WhatsApp easier and more secure. We’re excited to launch this on WhatsApp and give users an added layer of security.”
To enable passkey login, open WhatsApp on iOS head to Settings > Account > Passkeys and then follow the on-screen instructions to set-up this new verification method.
Laura Adams is a tech enthusiast residing in the UK. Her articles cover the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets, providing readers with a glimpse into the future of technology.
