{"id":2632,"date":"2021-01-28T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T08:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1335865"},"modified":"2021-01-28T08:00:09","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T08:00:09","slug":"whatsapp-will-require-a-fingerprint-or-face-id-to-use-its-desktop-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=2632","title":{"rendered":"WhatsApp will require a fingerprint or face ID to use its desktop apps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n

WhatsApp is adding another layer of security to its web app today, helping stop others from accessing your account when you\u2019re not looking. In an update rolling out soon, WhatsApp will begin to require biometric authentication \u2014 such as a fingerprint or face ID \u2014 before you can use the service on your desktop.<\/p>\n

Unlike Facebook Messenger and other services that work with a simple user name and password, WhatsApp accounts are tied to a phone number, so using the desktop app requires a connection to your mobile device.<\/p>\n

This is done by scanning a QR code in the desktop app using your phone. But that won\u2019t stop someone who has physical access to your phone \u2014 say, a mischievous coworker during non-corona times \u2014 from being able to link your phone to a desktop and accessing all your messages, unbeknownst to you.<\/p>\n

The update naturally prevents this scenario from happening, much like how app stores and banking apps require biometric authentication before making a purchase. WhatsApp is using your device\u2019s system authentication for this \u2014 no need to register a new fingerprint \u2014 but it\u2019s not clear what happens if you aren\u2019t using biometric authentication. Presumably, you\u2019ll be asked to enter a pin or other security code; we\u2019ve asked WhatsApp for clarification.<\/p>\n

You can<\/em> currently check which desktop devices are currently linked to your phone by going to the mobile app, hitting the menu button, and selecting \u201cWhatsAppWeb.\u201d But having that feature tucked away under a menu means you\u2019re unlikely to notice an unauthorized login unless you\u2019re specifically looking for it. It\u2019s better to just prevent this from happening in the first place.<\/p>\n

The update is rolling out to Android and iOS devices \u201cover the coming weeks.\u201d It\u2019s a small but welcome update; if WhatsApp needs you to have your phone in hand to scan a QR code in the first place, it might as well make sure it\u2019s the right person making the connection. Of course, the app still has some other security problems to address\u2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Did you know we have a newsletter all about consumer tech? It\u2019s called Plugged In \u2013 and you can subscribe to it right here<\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n

Published January 28, 2021 \u2014 08:00 UTC <\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WhatsApp is adding another layer of security to its web app today, helping stop others from accessing your account when you\u2019re not looking. In an update rolling out soon, WhatsApp will begin…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2632"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}