Protect Your WhatsApp Account with New Passkey and 2FA Upgrades

Protect Your WhatsApp Account with New Passkey and 2FA Upgrades 🚀

WhatsApp announced on August 25 that more than one billion people now use passkeys to log back into the app. The announcement included two other security upgrades: a stronger two-step verification method and more context for incoming calls from unknown numbers.

Key Features:

• Passkey Support: Originally launched on Android and later extended to iOS, WhatsApp now supports multiple passkeys per account. This means you can register a passkey on both your Android phone and iPhone!
• Enhanced Two-Step Verification: The two-step verification is moving from a simple six-digit PIN to a longer alphanumeric password that can include special characters, making it much harder to guess or brute-force.
• Caller Context: On Android, WhatsApp now shows extra context about calls from numbers not saved in your contacts, including whether the number is from another country and whether you share any groups.

Why Use Passkeys?

Passkeys are resistant to phishing because there is no password or SMS code to type into a fake website or hand over to a scammer. Instead, a passkey is stored on your device or in its credential manager and unlocked using your fingerprint, face, or screen-lock code.

Important Steps for Users:

1. Set Up a Passkey: Navigate via Settings > Account > Passkeys, and follow the instructions on your device. Don’t forget to add a second one if you use both an Android and an iOS device!
2. Upgrade Your Two-Step Verification: If you still use a six-digit PIN, upgrade to the new password format when it becomes available, especially if your PIN is predictable.
3. Add a Recovery Email: It’s recommended to add a recovery email to two-step verification if you haven’t already, as it’s the only way to reset the password if you forget it.
4. Be Cautious with Unknown Calls: Pay attention to the new caller-context details before answering calls from unknown numbers. Treat urgency as a red flag!

Passkeys and stronger two-step verification aren’t retroactive or forced, so accounts still relying on an old PIN or no passkey at all will remain unchanged until users upgrade them.

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