Anyone who wants to use WhatsApp via the computer, using the web or desktop version of the chat app, will from now on have to identify themselves via biometric data.
WhatsApp announced this on Twitter.
From now on, users of WhatsApp Web or Desktop must confirm their identity via their mobile phone with a fingerprint or facial recognition, depending on their smartphone’s technical capabilities. Previously, this was done with a QR code that had to be scanned with the smartphone.
WhatsApp explicitly states that the app will not be able to access fingerprints or facial scans.
The check is done on the smartphone itself, and the data does not end up with WhatsApp or parent company Facebook. Using this new method, chat sessions should be more secure in the future; it sounds.
The new feature will be rolled out worldwide from today. It can therefore take a few days before the opportunity also appears with you.