Latest WhatsApp for iOS update brings security improvements

Feb 4, 2019 07:00 GMT  ·  By

The latest WhatsApp for iOS update introduces new features allowing users to lock access to the app using Touch ID or Face ID, whichever is available on their iPhone.

Needless to say, Face ID can be enabled to lock access to WhatsApp only on devices where the facial recognition feature is available, namely iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.

Touch ID is supported on the older iPhone models, beginning with iPhone 6 and newer.

With this feature, users can technically block access to the application, thus making it harder for those who may be able to unlock the device to read their conversations. In other words, if you previously configured Face ID or Touch ID only to prevent others from reading your messages, you can now disable it and set up the locking system for WhatsApp specifically.

To do this in WhatsApp, you need to head over to Settings > Account > Privacy > Screen Lock. Just make sure that you are running WhatsApp version 2.19.20. You can configure WhatsApp to require Face ID or Touch ID immediately after closing the app, after 1 minute, 15 minutes, or 1 hour.

Also worth knowing is that this feature only restricts access to the app. Notifications and message previews are still displayed, so for full privacy, you may want to disable these too.

Similar feature in rival WhatsApp apps

While this is without a doubt a feature that would come in handy to many iPhone users, it’s been around for a long period of time on several popular WhatsApp alternatives.

For example, Telegram, which is often considered a top replacement for WhatsApp, especially for those looking for increased privacy, already features options to block access to conversations using fingerprint sensors on both Android and iOS.

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Face ID settings in WhatsApp for iOS
Face ID settings in WhatsApp for iOS
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