Overview
- Users can now encrypt and restore chat backups using a fingerprint, face recognition, or their device screen‑lock code instead of a password or 64‑digit key.
- The rollout is global and staggered, reaching accounts in phases over the next several weeks and months.
- The option appears in the app under Settings > Chats > Chat backup > End‑to‑end encrypted backup when it becomes available.
- This builds on WhatsApp’s 2021 end‑to‑end encrypted backups and uses passkeys based on FIDO2/WebAuthn standards to store cryptographic keys on the device.
- Restoring a passkey‑protected backup on a new phone depends on access to the previous device’s authentication, and cloud services will only hold encrypted data that WhatsApp cannot decrypt.