Meta adds three new features to keep WhatsApp accounts secure
Meta strengthens WhatsApp account security with alphanumeric two-step verification passwords, unknown-caller context on Android, and multiple passkeys per account.
Meta upgraded WhatsApp's two-step verification from a six-digit PIN to a longer alphanumeric password that can include special characters. On Android, calls from unsaved numbers now show context such as whether the number is registered in another country or shares groups with the recipient, countering scam urgency. More than one billion users have set up passkeys, and users can now register multiple passkeys on one account across mixed platforms.
- Two-step verification PIN upgraded to a longer alphanumeric password supporting special characters.
- Android users get caller context: country registration and shared groups for unknown numbers.
- Multiple passkeys per account now supported across Android, iOS, and other platforms.
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Meta has added new security enhancements to WhatsApp, this time in the form of stronger two-step verification, additional information about calls from unknown numbers, and the ability to add multiple passkeys to the same account.
New account security features (Source: Meta)
“On WhatsApp, your conversations belong only to you and the people you’re talking to. It’s why we built end-to-end encryption by default, and it’s why we continue adding new ways to keep your account secure and in your hands,” the company wrote.
WhatsApp is upgrading the six-digit PIN previously used for two-step verification to a longer, alphanumeric password that can also include special characters.
The second change lands on Android. When a call comes from a number that isn’t saved in a user’s contacts, WhatsApp will show additional context before the phone is picked up, including whether the number is registered in another country and whether the caller shares any groups with the recipient.
“Scammers rely on urgency — now you can take a beat with some more info before answering,” Meta noted.
Meta says more than a billion people have already set up a passkey on WhatsApp, letting them log back into the app with a fingerprint, Face ID, or screen lock code instead of typing a code or PIN.
Users who split their time between an Android phone and an iPhone, or any other mix of platforms, can now register more than one passkey on the same account. Users can find it under Settings > Account > Passkeys.
Meta obviously isn’t done tightening WhatsApp security, having rolled out new features several times in the past few months.
“We’ll keep building tools that help you stay in control of your account and boost account security,” Meta added.
In June, WhatsApp added a warning screen that appears before users open a chat with an unfamiliar phone number, showing details like the country code and shared groups. In May, WhatsApp introduced Incognito Chat, a feature that lets users hold Meta AI conversations the platform itself cannot read.
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