WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned popular messaging app is adding a new biometric feature to the service to bring in a new authentication layer for those using its web and desktop versions. If you’ve got biometric authentication enabled on your phone, you’ll have to unlock the app before you can link your account.
The company said that from today, it will let people add in a fingerprint, face, or iris scan to use WhatsApp on desktop or web by linking it to your mobile app, to be used alongside the existing QR code authentication.
Today we’re starting to roll out a new security feature for WhatsApp Web and Desktop: face and fingerprint unlock when linking devices.
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) January 28, 2021
WhatsApp does not see your face or fingerprint data.
Chats for your 👀 onlyhttps://t.co/qR3zsexzfj pic.twitter.com/Ei5G35MPpA
The new system will be enabled by default on any iPhone devices running iOS 14 with either Touch ID or Face ID, and any Android devices that have biometric authentication enabled.
WhatsApp says that the new update should be rolling out for compatible devices in the coming weeks.
