whatsappWhatsApp is in the process of rolling out a two-step verification feature for the messaging platform from today. The security option has been in testing for several months, but is finally going live for all users of the app.

With the optional feature, WhatsApp users will be able to securely verify their number with a custom-generated six-digit passcode whenever they install the app on a new device. To activate the security feature, users should open the app and tap through to Settings -> Account -> Two-step verification -> Enable.

Upon enabling the feature, users are asked if they want to enter their email address. This is used by WhatsApp to send a link via email to disable two-step verification in case the six-digit passcode is forgotten, and also to help safeguard the account.

To help users remember their passcode, WhatsApp will periodically ask them for it. There is no option to disable this without disabling the two-step verification feature.

WhatsApp is available as a free download on the App Store for iPhone. [Direct Link]

Tag: WhatsApp

Top Rated Comments

Frederik on MacRumors Avatar
Frederik on MacRumors
69 months ago
Collecting email addresses to better match people to existing data?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RamRS Avatar
RamRS
69 months ago
Email is optional..
I see you insist on making this point to everyone individually. Yes, email is optional, but it is the easier, more stable, less memory-dependent/human error-prone option. If they seriously values privacy, they would have gone with an authenticator application, and so would Facebook. Why force users to choose between trust-your-memory-to-never-fail-you vs give me your email address?

Seriously, f*** WhatsApp and f*** Facebook.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C DM Avatar
C DM
69 months ago
For alot of jobs your Facebook profile is reviewed prior to getting an interview or after the 1st interview.
How does that work if/when you practically don't have anything on it that's public?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
CarpalMac
69 months ago
Telegram deployed this on the 8th April, 2015.

https://telegram.org/blog/sessions-and-2-step-verification


Perhaps the Whatsapp are struggling for cash to pay their developers...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
m.x Avatar
m.x
69 months ago
Collecting email addresses to better match people to existing data?
Seems very likely. If a Facebook user opted out of sharing data with WhatApp, but uses the same mail address for 2FA, it's now possible to identify him on WhatsApp. Heck, they could even try to match the telephone numbers of the people most talked to on WhatsApp with the profiles most talked to on Facebook to create even larger databases about the people who never opted in to data sharing. It's sad to see that privacy is being attacked more and more. And in a not too distant future you'll have to have a good Facebook profile to be allowed to travel, just like that Black Mirror episode and everybody will be wondering how it all came to this...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joy.757 Avatar
joy.757
69 months ago
Cool, but I'd have liked a Google authenticator like service, rather than remembering another passcode.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

iOS 16 mock for article

Gurman: iOS 16 to Include New Ways of System Interaction and 'Fresh Apple Apps'

Sunday May 15, 2022 6:14 am PDT by
iOS 16 will include new ways of interacting with the system and some "fresh Apple apps," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said, offering some more detail on what Apple has in store for the upcoming release of iOS and iPadOS set to be announced in a few weeks at WWDC. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman wrote that while iOS 16 is not likely to introduce a major face-lift to...
Read Full Article • 252 comments
maxresdefault

Unbox Therapy Shares Hands-On Look at iPhone 14 Pro Max Replica

Monday May 16, 2022 4:40 am PDT by
YouTuber Unbox Therapy has shared a hands-on look at the iPhone 14 Pro Max using what he claims is a one-to-one replica created by third-party case makers with access to detailed schematics and dimensions for Apple's new upcoming flagship smartphone. As with the iPhone 13 Pro lineup, in 2022, we are expecting a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max, but this time the Pro...
Read Full Article • 137 comments
RIP iPod Feature

RIP iPod: A Look Back at Apple's Iconic Music Player Over the Years

Friday May 13, 2022 2:25 pm PDT by
Apple earlier this week announced the discontinuation of the iPod touch, and because it was the last iPod still available for purchase, its sunsetting effectively marks the end of the entire iPod lineup. To send the iPod on its way, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of the most notable iPod releases over the last 21 years. Original iPod (2001) Introduced in October...
Read Full Article • 107 comments
macOS Monterey 2

Apple Releases macOS Monterey 12.4 With Support for Studio Display Webcam Update

Monday May 16, 2022 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Monterey 12.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Monterey operating system that launched in October 2021. macOS Monterey 12.4 comes over two months after the launch of macOS Monterey 12.3, an update that added Universal Control. The ‌‌‌‌‌macOS Monterey‌‌ 12.4 update can be downloaded on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System...
Read Full Article • 123 comments
iOS 15

Apple Releases iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 With Wallet and Podcast Updates

Monday May 16, 2022 10:00 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5, the fifth major updates to the iOS and iPadOS 15 operating systems that were initially released in September 2021. iOS and iPadOS 15.5 come a little over two months after the launch of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4. The iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 updates can be downloaded for free and the software is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in...
Read Full Article • 38 comments
airpodsprodesign

Kuo: AirPods, MagSafe Battery Pack, and Other Apple Accessories Also to Switch to USB-C in Future

Sunday May 15, 2022 5:59 am PDT by
Earlier this week, well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that Apple plans to release at least one iPhone 15 model with a USB-C port in 2023. Now, in a follow-up tweet, he has claimed that accessories like AirPods, the MagSafe Battery Pack, and the Magic Keyboard/Mouse/Trackpad trio would also switch to USB-C in the "foreseeable future." Both the iPhone and all of the aforementioned...
Read Full Article • 168 comments
apple tv 4k design green

Apple Releases tvOS 15.5 for Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K

Monday May 16, 2022 9:57 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 15.5, the fifth major update to the tvOS operating system that first launched in September 2021. tvOS 15.5 comes more than two months after the release of tvOS 15.4, an update that brought support for captive WiFi networks. tvOS 15.5 can be downloaded over the air on the Apple TV through the Settings app by going to System > Software Update. ‌‌‌‌‌‌Apple...
Read Full Article • 34 comments