WhatsApp rolls out 'Passkeys' feature for secure chat backups

WhatsApp is rolling out a more secure feature for Chats Backup.

The social messaging app platform has introduced a “passkeys” feature to ensure support for secure, encrypted chat backups and for safely restoring chats if the device is lost or damaged.

Previously, when users wanted to secure their chat backups on Google Drive or iCloud, they had to set up a separate password or key.

If the user forgot the password, retrieving the backup again became difficult.

Passkey will help users keep their chat backups safe and access them again, even if they forget their passwords.

The new feature will allow users to easily access chat backups from any other device using their fingerprint, screen lock, or Face ID.

Moreover, Passkey makes it easy to access end-to-end E2E encrypted WhatsApp Chats, as previously users had to note down a 64-digit long code to unlock their encrypted WhatsApp backups, which was a difficult task.

Passkey lets users quickly access and restore chats on any device with their biometric or screen lock code.

WhatsApp has been testing the ‘passkey’ feature for a long time and has announced that the feature is now officially rolling out on both Android and iOS globally.

To access "passkey" feature, users can go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup > End-to-end encrypted backup to enable encrypted backups and use passkey option.