WhatsApp will now let Android users log in to account without needing OTP

WhatsApp is making an important change to how you log in to your account on its Android app. In a welcome change, the Meta-owned chat platform has introduced a passwordless passkey login feature to all its Android users. This is a new way to log in to your account and it is much safer than the annoying SMS-based two-factor authentication that requires you to enter a one-time password, commonly known as OTP. To log in to your WhatsApp account on an Android phone, you can now just use your phone’s face unlock, fingerprint unlock, or pin security.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp said the support for passkey is rolling out to all users over the coming weeks and months. That means some users will immediately begin to see the feature, while some will have to wait more. WhatsApp was earlier testing passkey support on its beta app for Android and the announcement about the rollout means the feature is ready for regular users. But there is no information on WhatsApp for iOS. Hopefully, the support for passkeys on iOS will begin rolling out sooner than later.

Android users can easily and securely log back in with passkeys 🔑 only your face, finger print, or pin unlocks your WhatsApp account pic.twitter.com/In3OaWKqhy

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What are passkeys and how they work

The perils of using the conventional method of entering passwords led companies such as Google and Apple to look for a modern and securer way for authentication. That is how passkeys came into existence. Passkeys allow you to sign in to different platforms, such as WhatsApp, Gmail, and iCloud, without needing you to use passwords, which are prone to hacking and practically hard to remember. Instead, this new method uses your device’s security tools to let you authenticate a sign-in. For example, your phone’s face unlock and fingerprint unlock methods.

Built on WebAuthn, short for Web Authentication, technology, passkeys involves the use of two different keys for a single log-in. When you create a passkey, two keys are generated simultaneously. One is stored by the website or the platform you are trying to sign in to and the other one is stored on the device you are using to sign in. Only when these passkeys will match, your log-in will be authenticated.

In simple terms, you no longer need to remember passwords as long as you are using a personal device to sign in to a service or website. In the case of WhatsApp, over 2 billion users will have a more secure method available for signing in to their accounts without having to worry about online threats.