WhatsApp can soon be unlocked with the fingerprint scanner on Android devices. After introducing Touch ID unlock on iOS, the feature would soon be available on Android.
WhatsApp is currently testing the fingerprint unlock feature on its beta Android app with the build number 2.19.221, reported WABetaInfo.
Using fingerprint unlock, users can add a layer of protection to the app that can only be opened after fingerprint authentication once enabled. The feature also gives an option called ‘show content in notification’ that shows or hides messages in the notification preview.
The feature can be found in WhatsApp Settings, which is disabled by default. To enable this feature, beta users on Android M or later need to navigate through WhatsApp Settings > Accounts > Privacy> Fingerprint Lock.
Upon enabling, they can choose to ‘automatically lock’ WhatsApp ‘immediately’, ‘after 1 minute’ or ‘after 30 minutes’ of inactivity. Users would need to authenticate via fingerprint every time they close and open the app if they choose ‘immediately’. On iOS, there is also a time interval of 15 minutes, after which the app would ask for Touch ID authentication.
If you are concerned about your biometric data, WABetaInfo states that WhatsApp uses Android APIs, and the authentication process is managed by the Android system.
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