By Dipo Olowookere
New security features have been added to the popular free messaging and video calling app, WhatsApp, owned by Meta, also the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
In a blog post on Tuesday, Meta said it is fortifying WhatsApp with multi-passkey support, stronger two-step verification passwords, and additional context for calls from unknown callers.
It further disclosed that these efforts are geared towards making the platform truly end-to-end encrypted, as it was designed by default, promising to also build tools that help users stay in control of their accounts and their account security.
As for two-step verification on WhatsApp, Meta stressed that it is making it stronger to provide an extra protection layer that helps prevent someone from taking over a user’s account, even if they get hold of the one-time passcode.
Until now, it was a six-digit PIN, but this has been upgraded to a full password: longer, alphanumeric, and even with special characters to make it harder to guess.
It has also introduced a passkey to let users log back into WhatsApp with their fingerprint, Face ID, or screen lock code. This was described as the fastest and most secure way to verify the account’s authentic owner, with no codes or PINs.
More than a billion people have already set one up, and more than one passkey can be added to an account if the user uses both Android and iOS devices. To get started, go to Settings > Account > Passkeys.
To protect users from spam calls, WhatsApp has been fine-tuned to provide a little context before any call from someone not on the contact list is picked up.
On Android, users will now see more information about a non-contact caller, like whether the number is from a different country or from a WhatsApp group.
