Currently WhatsApp uses a PIN for two-step verification: this is an optional feature that adds an extra layer of security and can be reset via an email address or an SMS with a one-time password.
The latest news spotted by the WABetainfo team comes from one of the latest beta releases of the messaging app (version 2.26.7.8) and concerns the security improvement itself, with the addition of the password.
News for WhatsApp: the messaging app will be safer thanks to the new password
In the future it will be possible to protect your WhatsApp account using a real password: so this is not the PIN for two-factor authentication, but a password to be set and used for future logins.
Images in the article show the interface of the new feature: the password can be composed of numbers and letters, with a length from 6 to 20 characters – including at least one letter and one number. This can be updated or removed at any time and will be completely optional.
The aim is to offer an additional level of security: if the user enables the password but not the two-factor authentication, then at the first login on a new device only the password will be requested. If the user enables both systems, at the first login the PIN for two-factor authentication will be requested, after which the password must also be entered.
For the moment the feature is not yet active and is in testing by the WhatsApp team: it will be implemented in a future update but for now there are no details on timing.
