Four days ago, precisely on the 3rd of February, 2019 (I believe), WhatsApp released version 2.19.20 for iPhone. This new version came with a huge security update and that’s being able to use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock WhatsApp On iPhone.
Notice I termed it huge?
Yes, this is huge for me. A couple of years back, whatsapp introduced end-to-encryption and although that was major at the time, it didn’t seem like it made much difference for the common user.
The use of whatsapp web can still have people spying on your whatsapp messages after they’ve gained access to your phone for a few minutes. This new update however, will most likely be useful for the common user.
Although it most likely won’t stop users from being able to check your WhatsApp message via the web feature after having access to your phone, it will make accessing whatsapp difficult. This way, they would need you to give them access to WhatsApp and not just your phone.
This is a feature I have personally been looking forward to. Something that came close, was Password lock on GBwhatsapp which is exclusively available for Android.
I guess you can tell how excited I am about this update on iPhone? Oh yes, I am!
In Layman’s language, WhatsApp version 2.19.20 now allows users to use Face ID or touch ID to unlock WhatsApp on iPhone.
How To Use Face ID or Touch ID To Unlock WhatsApp On iPhone
- First, make sure you are running the latest version of WhatsApp on your iPhone. See below guide for how to update the app.
- Launch the WhatsApp Application
- Tap on the settings tab
- Under settings, tap on Account
- Tap On Privacy and select Screen lock.
- Since I use an iPhone X, the only option displayed is Require Face ID. This will be the same for newer iPhones. If using a older iPhone supporting Touch ID, require Touch ID will be displayed.
- On iPhone X and newer iPhones, toggle the Require Face ID ON. For older iPhones, toggle the require Touch ID ON.
- Next option will be selecting the duration at which the touch should be required. You can select between Immediately, After 1 minute, After 15 minutes or After 1 hour.
- Choose your preferred duration and return back. Now, launch the whatsapp app again and a prompt asking Do you want to allow “WhatsApp” to use Face ID? will be displayed.
Select OK.
Select OK.That’s it. That’s how to use Face ID or touch ID to unlock WhatsApp On iPhone. If you choose the immediately option, WhatsApp will require authentication every time you leave the app and return back to it. This, I find to be the best option.
I’m not sure why, but I wasn’t notified of this update on my iPhone X. I had to manually check and update the app. Hence, if you checked your WhatsApp application but didn’t find this feature on your iPhone, that’s because you are still using a old version of the app.
So, having discussed how to use face ID or Touch ID to unlock WhatsApp on iPhone, let’s discuss how to update the app on iPhone.
How To Update WhatsApp To Latest Version On iPhone
- Launch the App Store
- Tap on the Updates tab. Check through the list to see if WhatsApp is displayed with the update option. If no, continue with the next step.
- Tap on the search tab and search for WhatsApp
- Select the WhatsApp option and after a few seconds, the open option should change to Update. Choose to update.
After the update is complete, you should be able to find the new feature in the app. Just follow the steps above.
That’s it. That’s how to use face ID or touch ID to unlock WhatsApp on iPhone.
