Does your significant other know the password to your phone? Are you worried that they might read your WhatsApp messages?
Well, fret not because WhatsApp has added fingerprint locking to the beta version of their app.
If you're part of WhatsApp's beta program, the feature is now available in the 2.19.221 version of the app. You can head over to Settings - Account - Privacy - Fingerprint lock to set up this security feature.
Once it's enabled, you'll have to use your fingerprint when you open up the app. However, you can still answer calls without authenticating it.
You'll also be able to set a timer for when the app will lock itself, ranging from instantly to 30 minutes. Once the lock is enabled, it'll even block notifications from showing the message and the WhatsApp widget will display a message saying 'Content hidden due to fingerprint lock'.
The app will be using Android's inbuilt biometric security, which means that your fingerprint is stored in the phone and will not be transmitted to the WhatsApp servers.
This security feature is not new. It first came to the iOS version of WhatsApp back in May 2019 where users would use their Touch IDs to unlock the app.
Being on the beta version of the app, we can expect this feature to come to the official version soon. However, the company has not given a timeline of when it will arrive.
