WhatsApp Gets Fingerprint Lock Feature on Android, Months After iPhone

WhatsApp on Thursday announced fingerprint lock feature for Android users that adds a layer on top of chats. The fingerprint lock feature was added for iPhones earlier this year and has seen a rollout on Android after much delay.

WhatsApp hasn't revealed whether the new feature will roll out after an app update or will be a server-side update for users. Currently, the feature is visible to beta users on Android.

What the fingerprint lock feature does is it adds a layer on top of your chats so every time you want to read your conversations, you have to first unlock the app by using the fingerprint scanner. WhatsApp for iPhone received the feature earlier this year that allowed users to enable Touch ID or Face ID for reading WhatsApp chats.

The feature was a much-demanded one considering that a lot of Android users were relying on third-party apps to authenticate the app, which could also be a privacy disaster.

"Earlier this year, we rolled out Touch ID and Face ID for iPhone to provide an extra layer of security for WhatsApp users. Today we're introducing similar authentication, allowing you to unlock the app with your fingerprint, on supported Android phones," WhatsApp said in a statement on Thursday.

WhatsApp also offers additional options like automatically lock after a minute or after 30 minutes or lock immediately. Users can also choose to show content in notifications when Fingerprint lock is enabled. This option allows preview sender name and message text inside new message notifications.

October 31, 2019