WhatsApp tightens account security with stronger two-step verification and more

2 weeks ago 30
The Whatsapp app logo tin  beryllium  seen connected  the show  of a smartphone connected  September 2, 2025.Image Credits:Matthias Balk/picture confederation / Getty Images

6:00 AM PDT · August 25, 2026

WhatsApp announced Tuesday that it’s launching caller information features and updates to assistance users support their accounts secure, including stronger two-step verification and the quality to adhd much than 1 passkey to your account. The Meta-owned app is besides adding discourse to calls from chartless numbers.

The updates travel arsenic WhatsApp and different messaging apps, specified arsenic Signal and Telegram, look to marque relationship information easier and much accessible for mundane users, particularly arsenic phishing and hacking attempts person go much blase implicit the years.

Until now, WhatsApp’s two-step verification has utilized a six-digit PIN arsenic an other furniture of extortion to forestall idiosyncratic from taking implicit an relationship adjacent if they’re capable to get the user’s one-time passcode. Now, users tin take a longer, alphanumeric password with peculiar characters to marque the PIN harder to guess.

As for passkeys, users tin present adhd much than 1 passkey to their account, which WhatsApps says volition beryllium utile if a idiosyncratic uses some iOS and Android.

Image Credits:WhatsApp

Passkeys, which WhatsApp launched enactment for successful 2024, are acold stronger than passwords and let users to log successful to their accounts utilizing Face ID oregon their fingerprint. Passkeys region the request to trust connected username and password combinations, which are ordinarily susceptible to phishing attacks. Passkey logins marque it harder for atrocious actors to remotely entree your accounts, arsenic an attacker would request carnal entree to a person’s instrumentality that stores the user’s portion of the passkey.

Additionally, Android users volition present spot much accusation erstwhile they’re getting a telephone from idiosyncratic who isn’t successful their contacts, similar whether the fig is from a antithetic state and if they person immoderate groups successful communal with the caller.

The latest features articulation the increasing database of updates WhatsApp has rolled retired successful caller months. The company launched usernames in precocious June to let radical to stock their profiles without disclosing their telephone number. In precocious May, Meta launched a subscription plan for the messaging app that unlocks other features, similar illustration customization, ace reactions, communicative insights, and more.

The WhatsApp Plus program launched alongside akin “Plus” offerings for Instagram and Facebook.

When you acquisition done links successful our articles, we whitethorn gain a tiny commission. This doesn’t impact our editorial independence.

Aisha is simply a user quality newsman astatine TechCrunch. Prior to joining the work successful 2021, she was a telecom newsman astatine MobileSyrup. Aisha holds an honours bachelor’s grade from University of Toronto and a master’s grade successful journalism from Western University.

You tin interaction oregon verify outreach from Aisha by emailing aisha@techcrunch.com oregon via encrypted connection astatine aisha_malik.01 connected Signal.

Read Entire Article