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After the recent update, WhatsApp users can experience passkey-secured backups for their conversations. WhatsApp has now employed passkey encryption for backups, ensuring enhanced security and ease of accessibility for the users’ data.
WhatsApp Deploys Passkey-Secured Backups Feature
According to a recent post, WhatsApp, which previously offered users end-to-end encrypted backups, has now taken another step towards providing users with a safer digital experience for their conversations. As explained, WhatsApp has now started offering passkey-encrypted backups for users.
WhatsApp has long been a popular messaging app for personal as well as business communications. Despite all the controversial privacy policies and practices from Meta – WhatsApp’s parent firm – the app has remained one of the most used chat apps worldwide due to its user-friendly features and ease of use.
One thing that remained a point of concern for quite some time was the lack of secure chat backups for WhatsApp. However, in 2021, WhatsApp rolled out end-to-end encrypted cloud backups for users. Using this feature required the users to manage their backups with a password to their Backup Key Vault. While it offered security, it added to the strain of remembering/storing one more password, losing which would render their access to WhatsApp backups nullified.
However, with the recent move of introducing passkey-secured backups, users can easily access their WhatsApp backups using passkeys. With this feature, users can use any security method to protect their chat backups, such as biometric (face, fingerprint) lock, and screen lock code, together with the pre-existing support for passwords, encryption keys, or passkeys.
This support for additional security options empowers users to set up any security method of their choice to protect WhatsApp backups, without necessarily committing to the long encryption keys. As stated in the post,
Now, with just a tap or a glance, the same security that protects your personal chats and calls on WhatsApp is applied to your chat backups so they are always safe, accessible, and private.
Passkey-Protected Backups Arriving Soon
To use this feature, users simply need to follow this path: Settings > Chats > Chat backup > End-to-end encrypted backup.
WhatsApp has confirmed the gradual rollout of this feature over the next few weeks, ensuring it reaches both Android and iOS users alike.
In September, another popular messaging app, and a rival of WhatsApp – Signal – also announced the launch of secure cloud backups for its users. The app deployed end-to-end encryption and passkey-protection simultaneously, seemingly giving tough competition to WhatsApp regarding security features.
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