Meta’s popular instant messaging platform WhatsApp is working on a new privacy feature that allows users to encrypt their chat backups using Passkeys. The Passkey feature was initially introduced last year, to secure user accounts and WhatsApp constantly sends reminders to its users to ensure people never forget their password.
However, according to the latest report by WhatsApp developer update tester WABetaInfo, WhatsApp plans to release the Passkey authentication feature for end-to-end encrypted chat backups. The WhatsApp beta 2.24.18.13 for Android has a similar Passkey feature for encrypted backups. But, this isn’t yet available for all beta testers, since it’s still in development.
With the addition of a Passkey, WhatsApp users will also be able to secure their chat backups using biometric authentication, including the already present fingerprints and facial recognition. Meta currently allows users to secure their data with either a custom password or a 64-digit encryption key. This method provides a high level of security, ensuring that only the user can decrypt and access their backup files.
The WABetaInfo report also suggests that this shift towards Passkey support represents a significant step forward in making the chat encrypted backups more accessible and less reliant on devices that support biometric authentication. It also makes verification of the user data easier and more convenient as biometrics can sometimes give errors in extreme climate conditions.
We expect this feature to be rolled out for all WhatsApp users in the coming weeks.
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