WhatsApp to Add Support for Passkey-Encrypted Backups

by

WhatsApp this week announced that it is adding passkey-encrypted chat backups, allowing users to protect their stored messages using Touch ID or Face ID instead of a 64-digit key.

Whatsapp Feature
The feature extends the app's 2021 end-to-end encrypted backup system, which previously required users to create and save a lengthy key to restore chats. With passkeys, authentication uses each device's built-in authentication hardware like ‌Touch ID‌ or ‌Face ID‌, meaning the private cryptographic key never leaves the phone. This makes backups both more secure and much easier to restore.

The rollout is set to be global and gradual over the coming weeks. Users can enable it via Settings → Chats → Chat backup → End-to-end encrypted backup once available. iCloud and Google Drive remain the storage destinations for iOS and Android, respectively. The move continues Meta's broader adoption of passkeys, which WhatsApp first supported for account logins in 2023.

Tag: WhatsApp

Top Rated Comments

EightyEight Avatar
EightyEight
8 weeks ago
Safer, yes. But convincing family and friends to switch is very difficult.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neptuna Avatar
neptuna
8 weeks ago

Its safer to switch to iMessage and encourage family and friends to use Apple devices.
Maybe switch to Signal instead. I love iMessage, but competition is healthy for consumers and everyone on Apple devices may end up biting us in the butt later.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blizzerand Avatar
blizzerand
8 weeks ago

Its safer to switch to iMessage and encourage family and friends to use Apple devices.
Where i am at, even if the family is on iPhone, whatsapp is the means of communication. It just works.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple-achian Avatar
Apple-achian
8 weeks ago
Its safer to switch to iMessage and encourage family and friends to use Apple devices.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
klasma
8 weeks ago

Im still confused about passkey

I create a passkey with my face on iPhone 13 Pro.

Can I then login with my face , on a 17 ?
Yes. The passkey isn’t actually connected to your face. But it’s stored in the iCloud keychain, and your face unlocks access to it on each device connected to your iCloud account and where you have set up Face ID, similar to how it unlocks access to Apple Pay and similar.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JustSomebody12 Avatar
JustSomebody12
8 weeks ago

It’s wild people still put that meta spyware trash on their phones
Outside of the US Whatsapp is the default option.
Here most people with iPhones don’t even bother to activate iMessage, and most who do rarely, if ever, use it
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments