WhatsApp Gets Advanced Passkey, 2FA and Call Screening Features to Enhance Security, Privacy

WhatsApp first started rolling out passkey support for Android users in 2023. Later, the security feature, which allows users to log into their WhatsApp account by using their biometrics, like fingerprint or Face ID, or the screen lock code, was rolled out to iOS users in 2024. Since its launch, the instant messaging platform has expanded the feature to passkey-encrypted WhatsApp chat backups. Now, the tech firm has announced that the passkey feature has crossed a significant milestone. As part of this announcement, the company has also introduced new security features, adding to WhatsApp's two-factor authentication (2FA) and call screening functionalities.

WhatsApp Adds New Security Features

On Tuesday, the Meta-owned instant messaging platform announced that now more than one billion users have enabled passkeys on its platform, which allows users to log into their WhatsApp account by simply using biometric authentication or their phone's password. Adding to this, the tech giant says that users who have their WhatsApp accounts logged in on both Android and iOS can now add more than one passkey to their account.

WhatsApp users can go to the app's settings menu, select account settings, and enter the passkey settings page to set up new passkeys for their account. This would allow users to have separate passkeys for different Android and iOS devices for a single WhatsApp account, which is logged in on both devices, and is claimed to offer enhanced security.

On top of this, the instant messaging platform has added a new ability to its two-step verification process. The company has announced that users can now set up a full password, which is longer and alphanumeric, while also containing special characters. Earlier, the tech giant only allowed users to set up a numeric six-digit PIN for 2FA for their WhatsApp account.

Lastly, WhatsApp has announced a new, smarter call screening feature for WhatsApp for Android. Now, the app will provide additional details to Android users about unknown callers, including the country of origin of the incoming call and whether the user is part of a mutual group chat. The company claims that this helps in curbing scams, as bad actors rely heavily on urgency. Hence, with the added context to the incoming call from an unsaved contact, users can decide whether they wish to take the call or not.