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The new user identification via biometrics on an Android mobile phone
Photo: WhatsApp
Most people use WhatsApp on their smartphone - for example to chat with friends or to talk about their homework in the chat group of their school class.
According to WhatsApp, "numerous users" also access the service using the WhatsApp Web browser application or the desktop app.
The company is now securing these access routes with biometric identification.
The procedure is largely identical to the previous process of logging in to the web or desktop app: After you have called up the respective app, it displays a QR code that you have to scan with the WhatsApp app on your smartphone to link it to his account.
The difference is that the smartphone app now asks users to first identify themselves on their mobile phone using facial recognition or fingerprints.
Only when this has been successfully done will the camera function that is required to scan the QR code be activated.
It doesn't work the same or at the same time for everyone
According to WhatsApp, the biometric verification "will be made available to all users with compatible devices worldwide in the next few weeks."
The English-language instructions for logging in to desktop apps already reflect this innovation, the German-language version still explains the old system.
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Biometric identification on an iPhone
Photo: WhatsApp
The instructions also make a difference between iPhones and Android smartphones clear.
Because while Android says you should follow the instructions on the screen, "if the device has biometric user recognition," there is no such restriction with iPhones, as they have always worked with fingerprint scanners or face recognition for many years.
In order to anticipate possible reservations of the user, the Facebook subsidiary expressly points out that WhatsApp cannot access the biometric data stored by the operating system of the respective device.
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