The future without passwords is not for tomorrow, but we are inexorably getting closer. WhatsApp established the connection to its Android application with an identification key, i.e. a passkey.
Passkeys are the industry’s solution to putting an end to passwords that are forgotten, not sufficiently secure, or reused. These identification keys or access keys replace the password with a biometric identification (face or digital) or even the smartphone unlock code. More and more online services are getting involved, especially the largest ones like Google.
Read: How to create an access key to log in to your Google account without a password?
Now it’s WhatsApp’s turn and starts with the Android application. The feature has been in testing since this summer, with a public beta starting last month. Apparently these experiments were satisfactory as Meta Messaging announced the deployment of passkeys to all users. The feature isn’t available to everyone yet (not for us at the moment), but it won’t be for long.
Android users can easily and securely log back in with passkeys. 🔑 Only your face, fingerprint or PIN unlocks your WhatsApp account pic.twitter.com/In3OaWKqhy
– Whatsapp whatsapp) October 16, 2023
In addition to the password, the passkey also replaces the second factor of authentication (2FA). Identification will therefore be even faster and more efficient if you configure access to WhatsApp on another device.
Once created, the private passkey is saved and synchronized in the system’s password manager (directly in the Google account or in the iCloud Keychain in Apple) to make your task easier when connecting to a new terminal. Currently, this new feature is not available for the iOS version of WhatsApp, but we can bet that it will be available fairly quickly. The password management app 1Password has published a directory of the most important online services compatible with passkeys, which can be viewed at this address.