Face, finger or lock-screen code: These passkeys are all you will need to encrypt your WhatsApp chat backups in the near future, the messaging app announced Thursday. Meta-owned WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app in the world, said it would be rolling out the changes over the upcoming months.
“Now, with just a tap or a glance, the same security that protects your personal chats and calls on WhatsApp is applied to your chat backups so they are always safe, accessible and private,” the company said.
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Passkeys are rapidly overtaking passwords as a more secure and easier way for computer users to log in or sign on. Instead of remembering our average of 301 passwords, passkeys use facial or fingerprint recognition — or a lock screen code — to sign in. According to recent research, passkey adoption is growing quickly, speeding up sign-in times and reducing IT help desk incidents.
A representative for WhatsApp did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
What are passkeys?
We explain the concept of passkeys in depth here, but the simplest explanation is that passkeys are passwordless logins. To log in, you must look at the screen (facial recognition), tap on the screen (fingerprint recognition) or enter a multidigit lock-screen code.
Many smartphone users already use facial recognition or passcodes to access their devices.
In 2021, WhatsApp initially allowed customers to secure their encrypted chat backup with either a password or a 64-digit encryption key.
How to do it, and why
Many WhatsApp users have a vast trove of messages, images, videos and voice notes stored on their phones, dating back years. They can either be stored exclusively on your device or backed up to Google Drive (for Android devices) or iCloud (for iPhones).
If you don’t encrypt your backed-up chats — basically, turn them into a secret code — someone else can gain access to them. Encrypting your backed-up chats removes that risk.
You don’t need to wait for WhatsApp to enable passkey encryption. You can do it now by using a password or 64-digit key. In the app, go to Settings, then Chats, then Chat backup and then End-to-end encrypted backup.
You can’t encrypt the backed-up chats if you haven’t backed them up already. To do that, go to Settings, Chats, Chat backup. From there, you can back up to iCloud or Google Account, if you have one, and set your auto backup schedule.
