Overview
- Beta strings reported July 22–23 by WABetaInfo and relayed by other outlets show WhatsApp is developing a change that would replace the existing six‑digit two‑step verification PIN with a password.
- Early code hints and prior beta notes indicate the password would allow letters and numbers and may require a mix of characters with a possible length range of roughly 6–20 characters.
- The feature is in early development, is not available to public beta testers, and has not been confirmed or dated by WhatsApp, so implementation details may change or the plan may be dropped.
- Two‑step verification will remain optional and existing users who enabled a numeric PIN would likely need to update or migrate to a new password when the change arrives, though WhatsApp has not published a migration path.
- If implemented, the switch could materially reduce successful guessing or SIM‑swap hijacks by expanding possible combinations, and it follows recent WhatsApp moves to tighten account security on Android and other platforms.