WhatsApp is a really popular instant messaging app around the world and its simplicity could be the reason that it is loved by the billions out there.
WhatsApp adds incremental updates over time and compared to its sister apps like Facebook Messenger, it seems like it is lagging behind. This next feature is something I’ve always wondered why they’ve never implemented years after we started seeing the feature being implemented on other apps.
According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is working on a way to login to your account via fingerprint authentication on Android. This is something we’ve been able to do on related apps like Telegram for a while now and it is great that they are working on it.
They are testing a new section under Privacy which is called Authentication and this is where you can toggle whether you want to login via your fingerprint or not. When you enable it, it shows the popup below when you want to access your WhatsApp.
The above screenshot also shows that in the case where you are not able to login to your WhatsApp via fingerprint, you can use your device credentials instead. Device credentials here could be the pin you use when you can’t login via y our fingerprint.
This feature is at an alpha stage of development and might be available in the future for any Android user having Marshmallow and newer and of course a fingerprint sensor. Fingerprint sensors are available on budget devices so this is not a problem for a lot of people out there.
For iOS users, WABetaInfo also says that they are working on bringing TouchID and FaceID support. When activated, it will show a similar prompt like the one on Android and if it is unsuccessful, you’ll be required to add a passcode.