WhatsApp has finally made available to fingerprint lock feature for Android beta users. Before iOS users already available this feature. It comes with the latest Android beta version 2.19.221, and is disabled by default. Users will need to enable it in Settings, and this feature will allow users to add a layer of protection to their app chats. There’s also a new ‘show content in notifications’ option added allowing users to decide if they want to show or hide message and sender preview when the fingerprint lock is enabled.
As mentioned, the fingerprint lock option is enabled in the Android beta version 2.19.221. Users will have to enable it by going to
WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy > Fingerprint lock.
If you have already updated to the latest version, and don’t see the feature, try backing up chat history and reinstalling the same WhatsApp version. Notably, the feature requires the phone to be running Android Marshmallow or higher, and feature a fingerprint scanner.
When enabled, users will need to use fingerprint authentication to unlock WhatsApp and gain access. There are three options for ‘automatically lock’ to choose from – immediately, after 1 minute, and after 30 minutes. Users can choose from these options according to their preference. Choosing the’ immediately’ option will require the user to fingerprint authenticate every time they close and open the app.
