The era of typing passwords is finally coming to an end thanks to Google passkey. And since this is a decidedly safer method for protecting our data and accounts, it was only a matter of time before messaging apps also integrated the method in question.
At least for users WhatsApp on Android, passkeys are now a reality. Let's see the details of the new feature, the benefits it brings and how Android users can activate and use it.
Goodbye to old authentications, welcome passkey on WhatsApp
WhatsApp users on Android can finally say goodbye to the irritating and less secure two-factor authentication via SMS. The news was recently announced by Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp, which introduced support for a feature passkey without password for all Android users.
This new security option allows WhatsApp users to use the facial recognition, fingerprints or PIN to unlock and access their accounts, following the lead of Google, which began urging users to create pass keys last week.
Read also: We can now access the Google account using Passkey
Passkeys can replace traditional passwords using the device's native authentication methods. This means you will be able to access Gmail, PayPal or iCloud simply by activating Face ID on an iPhone, the fingerprint sensor on an Android phone or with Windows Hello on a PC. For the moment though, according to what we learn, it seems that passkey for WhatsApp is not available for iOS.
This system is based on WebAuthn technology (or Web Authentication), where two different keys are generated when you create a passkey: one held by the website or service where your account is registered and a private key held on the device used to verify your identity.
If passkeys are stored on the device, what happens if it is lost or damaged? Since passkeys work across multiple devices, a backup may be available. Many services that support passkeys they also reauthenticate the user's phone number or email address.
