WhatsApp is adding new privacy features for many of its users, as the security community keeps a close eye on how its parent company, Facebook, plans to merge the globally popular messaging app with other products.
In a software update, WhatsApp allows iOS users to lock their messages with biometric authentication tools. The update, version 2.19.20, allows iPhone owners to unlock WhatsApp using Face ID or Touch ID. This layer of security applies to the entire app — rather than on a chat-by-chat basis — and can be enabled through iPhone’s settings page.
An Android version of the update is in a testing phase, according to the Verge.