WhatsApp has announced the launch of support for passkeys in the latest version of the app for iOS. With this feature enabled, users of the Meta instant messaging app can use the biometrics of their iPhones to log in, either with Face ID or Touch ID, or with their phone’s passcode.
Compatibility with passkeys arrives to the iPhone version several months after Meta started distributing it to WhatsApp users for Android last October. WhatsApp users on iOS will receive this functionality in the coming weeks. To find out if you already have the feature, you should update WhatsApp to its latest version, open the app and go to Settings > Account > Keys.
Passkeys can replace traditional passwords with the authentication methods of your device. This way, you can log in to Gmail, PayPal or iCloud by simply activating Face ID on your iPhone, the fingerprint sensor on your Android phone, or Windows Hello on a PC.
While WhatsApp already allowed unlocking its iOS app with the aforementioned options, passkeys go one step further. Based on WebAuthn technology, when you create a passkey, two different keys are generated: one stored by the website or service where your account is and a private key stored on the device you use to verify your identity.
In theory, passkeys represent a safer future for users by eliminating passwords (thus preventing someone from stealing them) and two-step verification via SMS/app. It also means that you can log in even if you are not connected to a network, as your phone has the authentication key.
