WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.21.8: what's new?
WhatsApp is rolling out a new update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.23.21.8.
What's new in this update? WhatsApp is working on a secret code feature for locked chats, and it will be available in a future update of the app!
| Common questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature? | Secret code |
| Status? | Under development |
| Availability? | WhatsApp is working on bringing a secret code feature for locked chats 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. |
| Special thanks: | Swakshan, for collaborating, testing, and reporting! |
| Previous news? | WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.21.7: what’s new? WhatsApp is rolling out a search feature for the Updates tab, making it possible to search for status updates and channels! |
SECRET CODE
In the article about the WhatsApp for Android 2.23.10.71 update, we posted an announcement shared by Mark Zuckerberg regarding the ability to lock chats in a protected folders. This enhancement significantly improves the privacy of your conversations, even in the event of someone gaining access to your phone. Locked conversations are always listed in a separate section, accessible only through your phone's PIN or biometric authentication. However, thanks to the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.21.8 update, which is available on the Google Play Store, we discovered that WhatsApp is working on additional ways to open this section of the app:
As you can see in this screenshot, WhatsApp has plans to introduce a new feature for locked chats to allow users to configure a secret code, for a future update of the app. In reality, this development isn't entirely surprising, considering that WhatsApp had previously hinted at a custom password feature for locked chats in a blog post several months ago, and it appears that WhatsApp is now actively working on enhancing the privacy options for this feature by developing a secret access code feature.
In our opinion, offering a feature that allows users to set a custom password for their protected chat folder is very beneficial, as it's different from the phone main password and it provides users with greater control over their locked conversations. When users set a custom password for their protected chats, it isolates the privacy of these chats from the overall phone security. This means that even if someone gains access to the device password, they won't automatically have access to the protected chats folder.
The secret code feature for locked chats is under development and it will be available in a future update of the app. As always, we will publish a new article when we have further information to share with you.
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