Today WhatsApp has announced some improved security features. First off, two-step verification is getting stronger. Before, it was a six-digit PIN. From now on, it will be a full password – longer, alphanumeric, and with special characters, making it harder to guess.
Next up, call security. When you pick up a call from someone who isn’t in your contacts, you’ll see more information about the caller, like whether their number is from a different country, or if you have any groups in common. This will help protect against scammers, hopefully. The bad news is that this feature is only coming to Android for now.
WhatsApp would also really like you to start using a passkey, which lets you log back into your account with your fingerprint, face, or screen lock code. WhatsApp says it’s the “fastest and most secure way to verify it’s really you, with no codes or PINs”. More than a billion people have apparently already set one up, and you can now add more than one passkey to your account – which is useful if you use both Android and iOS devices, for example. Just go to Settings > Account > Passkeys.