If you use WhatsApp Beta, you must have now seen the new update that brings Fingerprint Unlock. This is a feature that’s taken quite a while to arrive on Android devices given it was added to iOS phones as far back as February this year.
If you are not part of WhatsApp’s Beta testing program, sit back and relax. Features from the Beta app will in the end make their way to the official app. And so yeah, soon you’ll need to touch your fingerprint scanner every time you want to access your WhatsApp messages.
To access WhatsApp Fingerprint Unlock:
- Go to Settings
- Account
- Privacy
- Fingerprint Unlock
On the beta app, the feature comes disabled by default, and I believe that’s a good thing because not everyone wants to constantly touch their fingerprint scanner to read messages.
Under the Fingerprint Unlock Settings, you can set the timer ⏲ for automatic lock between immediately you leave the app, 1 minute after, or after 30 minutes. You can also choose between showing message content during notifications, or hiding it. If you use the WhatsApp widget, content will be hidden on the widget screen.
One will still be able to receive WhatsApp calls without needing to touch their fingerprint scanner. This is because this new feature only restricts one from opening the app. You’ll also still be able to reply to messages from notifications as long as you’ve not restricted showing of content as described in previous paragraph.
If you’re worried about Privacy, Facebook/WhatsApp won’t be able to access your biometric data. They’re using the official Android APIs. This data is secure on your device and even Google doesn’t have access to it.
Maybe we can expect the update that will be bringing the new name ‘WhatsApp from Facebook‘ to include the Fingerprint Unlock feature.
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