WhatsApp for iPhone gains passkey support

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WhatsApp logo
Passkey support finally comes to WhatsApp for iPhone.
Image: WhatsApp

WhatsApp is making it easier to log into your account on your iPhone with passkey support. The feature will allow you to verify your identity through Face ID, Touch ID, or device PIN.

Once you have set up a passkey for your WhatsApp account, you can set up the app on a new iPhone through biometric authentication, skipping the SMS code entirely.

WhatsApp is the latest service to add passkey support

Passkey support in WhatsApp on iPhones comes seven months after the feature rolled out to the Android app. Setting up a passkey in WhatsApp is simple and requires jumping into the app’s settings on your iPhone.

WhatsApp is the latest service to add passkey support. So far, Apple, Amazon, Google, and 1Password have all added support for passwordless login. If you have not already, learn how to use passkey and get rid of passwords for good in your life.

Interestingly, WhatsApp’s key rival outside the US, Telegram, is yet to add support for passwordless login.

Setting up passkey in WhatsApp is easy

Meta is rolling out passkey support in WhatsApp in stages, so it might not appear immediately for you. This should change in the coming weeks though. Once the feature is rolled out, here’s how you can enable and use it:

  1. Open WhatsApp on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Settings > Account.
  3. Select Account > Passkeys, followed by Create Passkey.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions after this to set up a passkey.

You can revoke a created passkey from the same menu in the WhatsApp app.

Meta notes that passkey support in WhatsApp for iPhone is available on iPhone 8 and newer models running iOS 16 or higher. You can grab the latest WhatsApp for iPhone build from the App Store.

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