Data security is a key factor in today’s tech industry, and following the recent breaches in user data privacy by social media platforms, everyone is fighting to fit in the safest zone.
WhatsApp is not leaving her users behind either. The latest developments indicate that the Facebook-owned app is driving towards bringing a fingerprint authentication feature on the platform.
According to a report by WABetaInfo, the Android WhatsApp beta version 2.19.3 update carries the new authentication feature.
WhatsApp beta for Android 2.19.3: what’s new?
WhatsApp is finally working to implement the Authentication feature to protect the app using your Fingerprint, under development!
Info about other features are available in the article.https://t.co/yO6R6pOlsV— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) January 8, 2019
The report indicates that the feature is “not available yet for development reasons and the feature needs to get many other improvements before to be enabled for everyone.”
How WhatsApp fingerprint authentication will work
Once the Fingerprint feature has been enabled on your app, it will be completely protected thus requiring you to authenticate your identity in order to open WhatsApp; whether from the app icon, from the notification or from external pickers.
It will protect the entire app, so it’s not used to lock specific conversations. The feature will also have the ability to use your device credentials, in case WhatsApp is unable to detect your fingerprint.
WABetaInfo states that the feature is still in an alpha stage of development and “will be available in future for any Android user having Android Marshmallow (and newer) and a fingerprint sensor.”
WhatsApp is reportedly also working to implement Face ID and Touch ID features on iOS int he near future.
This is an addition to a number of updates made recently including stickers for both Android and iOS app users, which users can now download and use for expression in chats; private replies for group chats on Android; and the Picture-in-picture mode also recently introduced to allow for video play wihtin a chat when you receive links of videos hosted on YouTube, Facebook, Streamable, or Instagram.
