WhatsApp for Desktop and Web: Instant messaging app WhatsApp has decided to make logging in on WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp’s Desktop’s app more safe by leveraging the biometric safety in smartphones. In an announcement on Thursday, the Facebook-owned platform announced that the platform is starting the roll out of the safety function that would require customers to use face or fingerprint ID on their smartphones when attempting to hyperlink their device with WhatsApp on the Web or on the desktop app. This implies that to access their WhatsApp chats on either of these platforms, the customers would have to authenticate the linking with the aid of their biometrics.
The function would be rolled out more than the next handful of days, and would be automatically activated on all Android devices which help biometric unlocking. Apart from this, all iPhones operating on iOS 14 or later OS versions and getting Face or Touch ID unlocking function would also automatically get this update. On devices getting biometric unlocking, customers would have to disable this unlocking function for their whole device to escape this updated safety function, otherwise this would stay a mandatory function. On the other hand, customers getting mobile devices which do not help biometric authentication would be capable to log into the Web and Desktop versions of WhatsApp as usual.
However, surrounded by controversy and criticism, the corporation has clarified that the biometric information of the customers would not be accessible to either WhatsApp or Facebook.
It is noteworthy that this function would stay related to fingerprint/Touch ID or Face ID unlocking in apps like Google Pay or various bank apps, and just like the biometric information from these apps does not get transferred to Google or the banks hosting the apps, the biometric information used to unlock WhatsApp Web/Desktop linking would also not be transferred to WhatsApp or Facebook.
How will the function work?
Once the function has been rolled out, in case customers want to log into WhatsApp Web or WhatsApp’s Desktop App, they would have to go to WhatsApp on their devices and either go to Settings (in case of iPhone) or to the 3 dots for More Options (in Android devices).
In the case of Android, as soon as the user has clicked on More Options, they would see the solution to ‘Link a Device’. If the device has biometric authentication, the user would have to adhere to the on-screen directions to hyperlink the device, WhatsApp mentioned.
On the other hand, for iPhones, in Settings, they would see the solution to ‘Link a Device’. Upon clicking it, customers would have to click ‘Ok’, following which the customers of devices operating on iOS 14 or later versions would have to use Touch ID or Face ID to unlock the function and hyperlink the device.
After this, on the Web or Desktop App, customers would see a QR code which they would require to scan from their phones to log in. In case they want to stay signed into the device, they ought to make sure that they tick the ‘Keep me signed in’ box on the Web or Desktop portal.
The possibilities to log out from Web or Desktop portal would stay unchanged, and customers would be capable to log out from the portal by clicking on the 3 dots on best of the chat list and then picking ‘log out’. Alternatively, they would be capable to use their phones to log out by going to WhatsApp and ‘More Options’ or ‘Settings’ on their Android or iPhone, respectively. After this, the user would have to choose the WhatsApp Web solution, and then choose the device they want to log out from prior to tapping ‘log out’.