WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.18.13: what's new?

WhatsApp is rolling out a new update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.24.18.13.
What's new in this update? WhatsApp is working on a passkey feature for end-to-end encrypted backups, and it will be available in a future update!

In the article about the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.20.4 update, we announced that WhatsApp was rolling out a passkey feature for account verification. This feature was designed to enhance the security and convenience of the login process by allowing users to verify their identity using a passkey. A passkey is a digital credential that simplifies and secures account logins by replacing traditional passwords with your fingerprint, face scan, or phone screen lock. It appears that WhatsApp also intends to use passkeys to add a new layer of authentication for end-to-end encrypted backups, ensuring that only authorized users can access and restore their chat history with enhanced convenience. Thanks to the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.18.13 update, which is available on the Google Play Store, we discovered that WhatsApp is working on a passkey feature for end-to-end encrypted backups!

As you can see from the attached screenshot, WhatsApp is exploring an optional feature to allow users to encrypt their backups using a passkey, scheduled for release in a future update. It is worth noting that WhatsApp already supports end-to-end encrypted backups, allowing users to secure their backup data with either a custom password or a 64-digit encryption key. This existing method offers a high level of security, ensuring that only the user can decrypt and access their backup files. With a passkey, users will also be able to leverage biometric authentication to protect their backups in the future, such as fingerprints or facial recognition.

We believe that WhatsApp is enhancing the user experience by providing another secure method to manage encrypted backups through the passkey integration. This approach removes the need to remember complex passwords, reducing the risk of being locked out of encrypted backups due to forgotten credentials. The passkey is securely stored in a password manager, ensuring both accessibility and security while avoiding the necessity of manually saving a custom password that could be forgotten or lost. This shift towards passkey support represents a significant step forward in making encrypted backups more accessible and less reliant on memory, as users will be able to restore their end-to-end encrypted backups by verifying their identity quickly and easily with biometrics.

A passkey feature for end-to-end encrypted backups is under development and it will be available in a future update. We will keep you updated with an additional article as soon as we have more details to share about this feature.

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