Passkeys are not new, but they are still facing challenges as far as transitioning from passwords is concerned. Given the number of password leaks, including the latest 183 million credentials shocker, anything that major brands can do to advance the use of highly secure passkeys is, erm, key to making security progress. Now, WhatsApp has suddenly announced a feature that helps tremendously in this regard: passkey-encrypted backups for Android and iOS users. Here’s what you need to know.
WhatsApp Chat Backup Protection Just Got Even Easier
The use of passkeys for WhatsApp is not news. After all, the messaging platform giant introduced passkeys for Android users almost exactly two years ago in October 2023, and for iOS in April 2024. So, what’s all the excitement about now then? Backups, to put it simply. WhatsApp has suddenly dropped an October 30 confirmation that 3 billion users will be able to use passkey-encrypted backups.
“Passkeys will allow you to use your fingerprint, face, or screen lock code to encrypt your chat backups instead of having to memorize a password or a cumbersome 64-digit encryption key,” WhatsApp said. This follows the messaging app’s introduction of end-to-end encryption for chat backups in 2021, enabling secure protection of “years of precious memories,” such as “photos, heartfelt voice notes, and important conversations,” according to WhatsApp.
Backups are, as everyone should know, vital if you lose your smartphone, or change it and want to move your archive over to the new device. Backups are, as everyone should know, vital if you lose your smartphone, or change it and want to move your archive over to the new device. The passkey protection move is a great one, as it means that you can use the same security measure to protect your backups as you do your WhatsApp chats and calls.
The bad news is that you might not see the feature yet, as WhatsApp has confirmed it will be “rolled out gradually over the coming weeks and months.” I would advise all users to go to ‘Settings|Chats|Chat backup|End-to-end encrypted backup’ and check, because you never know when it will hit your device.