whatsappWhatsApp is in the process of rolling out a two-step verification feature for the messaging platform from today. The security option has been in testing for several months, but is finally going live for all users of the app.

With the optional feature, WhatsApp users will be able to securely verify their number with a custom-generated six-digit passcode whenever they install the app on a new device. To activate the security feature, users should open the app and tap through to Settings -> Account -> Two-step verification -> Enable.

Upon enabling the feature, users are asked if they want to enter their email address. This is used by WhatsApp to send a link via email to disable two-step verification in case the six-digit passcode is forgotten, and also to help safeguard the account.

To help users remember their passcode, WhatsApp will periodically ask them for it. There is no option to disable this without disabling the two-step verification feature.

WhatsApp is available as a free download on the App Store for iPhone. [Direct Link]

Tag: WhatsApp

Top Rated Comments

Frederik on MacRumors Avatar
Frederik on MacRumors
104 months ago
Collecting email addresses to better match people to existing data?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RamRS Avatar
RamRS
104 months ago
Email is optional..
I see you insist on making this point to everyone individually. Yes, email is optional, but it is the easier, more stable, less memory-dependent/human error-prone option. If they seriously values privacy, they would have gone with an authenticator application, and so would Facebook. Why force users to choose between trust-your-memory-to-never-fail-you vs give me your email address?

Seriously, f*** WhatsApp and f*** Facebook.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C DM Avatar
C DM
104 months ago
For alot of jobs your Facebook profile is reviewed prior to getting an interview or after the 1st interview.
How does that work if/when you practically don't have anything on it that's public?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
CarpalMac
104 months ago
Telegram deployed this on the 8th April, 2015.

https://telegram.org/blog/sessions-and-2-step-verification


Perhaps the Whatsapp are struggling for cash to pay their developers...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
m.x Avatar
m.x
104 months ago
Collecting email addresses to better match people to existing data?
Seems very likely. If a Facebook user opted out of sharing data with WhatApp, but uses the same mail address for 2FA, it's now possible to identify him on WhatsApp. Heck, they could even try to match the telephone numbers of the people most talked to on WhatsApp with the profiles most talked to on Facebook to create even larger databases about the people who never opted in to data sharing. It's sad to see that privacy is being attacked more and more. And in a not too distant future you'll have to have a good Facebook profile to be allowed to travel, just like that Black Mirror episode and everybody will be wondering how it all came to this...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joy.757 Avatar
joy.757
104 months ago
Cool, but I'd have liked a Google authenticator like service, rather than remembering another passcode.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Expected to Release iOS 18.3 Next Week With These New Features

Thursday January 23, 2025 6:41 am PST by
iOS 18.3 should be released to the public next week, following beta testing since mid-December. While the software update is a relatively minor one, it still includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes for iPhones. Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.3. Notification Summary Changes Examples of inaccurate Apple Intelligence notification summaries Apple Intelligence...
Read Full Article • 29 comments
iOS 18

5 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.3

Friday January 24, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.3 next week, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a couple of neat new capabilities to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 devices, and bug fixes. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.3 still introduces capabilities that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've...
Read Full Article • 26 comments
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Beta Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday January 24, 2025 8:16 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is expected to be widely released next week, and that means the first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner. Apple has previously implied that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, as that is when it promised to make Apple Intelligence available in even more languages. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri ...
Read Full Article • 37 comments
Apple Pay Walmart Feature

Walmart Stands Firm on Why It Doesn't Accept Apple Pay in the U.S.

Thursday January 23, 2025 7:32 am PST by
Walmart still does not accept Apple Pay or other NFC payments at its more than 4,600 stores across the U.S., and it stood firm on its reasoning for that today. A spokesperson for Walmart today informed MacRumors that its position on contactless payments has not changed since we last reached out about the matter in 2022. The big-box retailer said it remains focused on its own convenient...
Read Full Article • 362 comments
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Launching This Year With These New Features

Wednesday January 22, 2025 6:01 pm PST by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year. In this article, we recap rumored features and changes for the device. The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports Wi-Fi 6E, which would be an upgrade over the current Apple TV's standard Wi-Fi 6 support. Wi-Fi 6E extends the...
Read Full Article
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full Release Notes for iOS 18.3

Tuesday January 21, 2025 4:31 pm PST by
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 18.3 today, and with it comes release notes confirming what's new. While we knew about several of the features that are in the update, there are some lesser known tweaks and bug fixes. The update adds new Visual Intelligence features for iPhone 16 models, it tweaks Notification summaries on all...
Read Full Article • 52 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal Single Feature

Kuo: iPhone 17 Models Won't Have Smaller Dynamic Island

Friday January 24, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The upcoming iPhone 17 models that Apple plans to release this year will not feature a smaller Dynamic Island, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today. On social media, he said that he is expecting the size of the Dynamic Island to remain "largely unchanged" across the iPhone 17 lineup. His statement is contrary to prior rumors that we've heard about planned changes for the iPhone 17 models. ...
Read Full Article • 79 comments
iPhone 16 Apple Store Levels

Gurman: Apple Stores Receiving 'Merchandise' Updates Next Week

Saturday January 25, 2025 5:07 pm PST by
Apple's retail stores will be rolling out "merchandise/floor marketing updates" next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman did not explicitly say if the store updates are related to any upcoming product announcements, but he did mention that next week is around the time that Apple rolls out its annual Black Unity watch band for the Apple Watch. In each of the past four years, ...
Read Full Article • 32 comments
apple power beats pro 2

Apple's First Product Announcement of 2025 is Imminent

Thursday January 23, 2025 2:48 pm PST by
It's also time for Apple's first product announcement of the year. Last year, Apple said it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and the wireless earbuds are expected to launch very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter last weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the...
Read Full Article