WhatsApp has officially rolled out the ability to login to your WhatsApp account on Android using your fingerprint.
This is a feature that was available since August on the beta channel (of which I’m a member of) and it is a nice way of securing your account.
If you update your app, you will find the feature tucked away under Settings > Account >Privacy > Fingerprint lock. The feature is disabled by default. When you activate it, you confirm your fingerprint by touching the relevant finger on the sensor and will show a checkmark if it is successful.
You can even set the app to automatically lock itself in this menu. You can either set it to lock immediately, after one minute or after 30 minutes. You also have the ability to enable or disable the ability to show content from your WhatsApp activity on your notifications from this menu.
When you enable the fingerprint login, it will greet you with a “WhatsApp Locked. Touch the fingerprint sensor” whenever you login depending on your lock timer.
WhatsApp has taken its sweet time to release this feature to the general access version of the Android app. I’ve never had issues with it and they usually take their sweet time to take care of the niggles that may arise.
WhatsApp now officially joins the likes of Telegram Messenger who offer this neat feature on the ir apps. If your Android phone doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor, do not worry as the passcode is still a secure way of making your chats more private. WhatsApp introduced support for FaceID and TouchID on its iPhone app earlier this year so they are kind of late with the Android app.
