WhatsApp is rolling out a new update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.23.17.5.
What’s new in this update? WhatsApp is working on a passkey feature for account verification, and it will be available in a future update of the app!
| Common questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature? | Passkey |
| Status? | Under development |
| Availability? | WhatsApp is working on bringing a passkey feature to a future update of the app. |
| I’ve installed this update but I don’t have this feature. Why? | This feature is under development so it’s not ready for beta testers, but you can discover a preview in this article. |
| Previous news? | WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.17.2: what’s new? WhatsApp is rolling out community examples! |
PASSKEY
In the article about the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.16.15 update, we announced that WhatsApp was working on a new security feature to protect your account using an email address. With this feature, WhatsApp aims to add another layer of security to your account by bringing the ability to protect and verify it by using an email address. However, WhatsApp is also exploring new ways to help us verify our accounts. Specifically, thanks to the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.17.5 update, which is available on the Google Play Store, we discover that WhatsApp is working on passkey support for a future update of the app!
As you can see in this screenshot, the passkey feature will provide users with a simple way to sign in safely. A passkey is a short sequence of numbers or characters used to authenticate your identity and it acts as a form of security code to ensure only approved devices can get authenticated. You do not need to remember a passkey as it is securely stored in your Google Password Manager. WhatsApp has plans to support this technology for account verification purposes.
Since the passkey will use your fingerprint, face, or screen lock to verify your identity, this definitely enhances security, adding an extra layer of protection beyond traditional methods like PINs. In addition, the secure storage of passkeys in Google Password Manager ensures convenient access while maintaining strong safeguards against unauthorized access.
The passkey feature is under development and it will be available in a future update of the app. As always, we have plans to publish a new article when we have further details about this feature to share with you.
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