WhatsApp has announced three important security updates for iOS and Android. The set includes upgrades for two-step verification, which now requires a password. Android users can get more context about unknown calls, and all users can now add more than one passkey to log into their accounts.
| Key points | Details |
|---|---|
| Feature: | New security updates |
| Feature availability: | Some features may be under development, so they are not available to beta testers. Others may become available to users over time. If you're unable to access a certain feature, you will need to wait for a future update. |
| News shared last week: | WhatsApp is building a smart chat list for mentions and replies! |
| Previous article: | WhatsApp introduces media previews in the chat list! |
Weekly WhatsApp beta updates: new features and improvements
This new weekly roundup brings together all the latest updates about WhatsApp beta shared this week. As a result, you can finally catch up on everything you might have missed from our past announcements. You can consider this summary as a way to keep up new features, improvements, and fixes. This week's highlight focuses on new security updates announced by WhatsApp. See what else we announced this week.
WhatsApp rolls out new security updates
This week, WhatsApp announced important updates regarding account security. WhatsApp upgraded two-step verification with a password. Users can now choose a password with at least eight characters, at least one letter, and at least one number. This further improves the security of the feature since users can protect their accounts with stronger credentials. WhatsApp now shows additional information when Android users receive calls from unknown numbers. For example, they can see whether the phone number is from a different country and how many groups they have in common with the caller. In addition, users can now set up more than one passkey to log into their accounts. These features make accounts more secure and give users additional protection against unauthorized access and potential scams.
WhatsApp introduces the account password feature
Let's give a deeper look into account passwords now. This is one of the features included into the recent security updates announced by WhatsApp. After installing the latest versions of WhatsApp for iOS and Android, some users can now replace the two-step verification PIN with a password. A password is definitely more secure than a PIN since it offers more combinations and characters. It makes it even harder for unauthorized users to guess or brute-force the credential. Some users can now choose their password from the account settings. If you do not see the password option in this section, note that it will be available to more users soon.
WhatsApp will expand payments to more countries
With the WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.33.10.70 update, WhatsApp is working on a new section to manage payment cards and billing details. The section will include an option that lets users pay a contact. This feature will let users complete payments with their contacts directly within WhatsApp. It will also be possible to save shipping information, credit and debit cards, shipping information and shipping address. Note that WhatsApp is not limiting this section to its current payment markets, but it is including many countries in the billing address selector.
WhatsApp launches admin profiles for channels
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that lets admins create a profile for their channels. With this feature, admins can show a different identity to their followers. For example, they can choose a name and a profile photo, making it easier for others to see who posted a specific update. This also helps other channel admins track who shared content. Admins can update and delete their profile at any time right within the channel info screen.
WhatsApp is testing Scam Alert on Android
WhatsApp is introducing Scam Alert to a limited number of Android beta testers. This new functionality helps detect potential scam messages from unknown contacts. The feature uses an on-device machine learning model to analyze incoming messages and identify known scam patterns. This means that the message is not shared with WhatsApp or Meta. When Scam Alert detects a potential scam, WhatsApp shows a warning and allows users to block and report the contact or mark the chat as trusted. The feature is optional and disabled by default, and users can disable it at any time.
WhatsApp launches new updates for chat themes on iOS
WhatsApp is introducing five new categories for chat themes to iOS users. The categories are Featured, Nature, Live, Minimal, and Doodle. The Featured category includes WhatsApp's top picks. Nature offers themes with outdoor landscapes. The Live category features animated wallpapers that move slowly in the background. The Minimal category uses plain backgrounds without patterns or animations. Doodle brings back WhatsApp's classic patterns. For every theme, WhatsApp automatically selects the bubble color to ensure enough contrast and keep the text easy to read.
WhatsApp is working on a new chat list for mentions and replies
WhatsApp is developing a new smart filter for the chat list called "To You". The filter will let users quickly locate chats where someone mentioned or replied to them. When someone mentions a user in a group chat, WhatsApp will automatically show the conversation in the new list. The same will happen when someone quotes one of the user's messages and sends a reply. The filter will be optional, so users can choose to keep it in the main chat list or move it to a separate section.
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