WhatsApp announced that more than 1 billion users now use passkeys to log into their accounts, and the company is expanding the feature to let users add more than one passkey to the same account. The rollout also includes upgrades to two-step verification and new caller context information on Android.
The expansion of multiple passkeys per account solves a practical problem for anyone switching between iPhone and Android devices. Instead of losing passkey access when moving to a different platform, users can now add a passkey on both devices and log in using their fingerprint, face, or screen lock on either one. Passkeys, developed by the FIDO Alliance in partnership with Apple, Google, and Microsoft, eliminate the need to enter or remember numeric codes entirely.
Passkeys now protect chat backups with biometric security
WhatsApp introduced passkey support on Android in October 2023 and brought the feature to iPhone in April 2024. The jump to 1 billion users in roughly 27 months reflects how thoroughly Apple’s Face ID and Touch ID system has embedded biometric authentication into iPhone users’ daily routines. WhatsApp’s passkeys now serve a second function beyond login protection: users can apply a passkey as a second layer of security for chat backups, making the backups end-to-end encrypted without requiring users to save or remember a 64-digit code.
Two-step verification now accepts alphanumeric passwords and special characters
WhatsApp is replacing its numeric-only two-step verification system with full alphanumeric passwords that include special characters. The change gives users significantly more possible combinations, making brute-force guessing substantially harder than a six-digit PIN allows. This upgrade applies to the account protection layer independent of end-to-end encryption; while the latter protects message content, account-level security prevents unauthorized login in the first place.
Android receives unknown caller context; iOS support not yet available
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature on Android that displays additional information when users receive calls from unknown numbers, including whether the caller is from a different country and how many groups the caller and recipient have in common. This feature is currently available on Android only; no timeline has been announced for iOS. Apple’s Call Screening feature in iOS already offers similar functionality through on-device processing, making this a case of WhatsApp adding capabilities that iPhone users have had access to natively.
All three security updates are rolling out gradually across iOS and Android, meaning users will not receive them simultaneously. WhatsApp has more than three billion total users, so the 1 billion passkey figure represents roughly one-third of the user base, though adoption will likely accelerate as the feature rolls out more widely.
