Given the revelation of how easy it was to hijack someone’s Whatsapp phone number, and thus their account; the company has officially added support for two-step verification in a bid to lessen the chances of such hack attacks by several folds.
The feature has been under beta testing since November and is now finally being made a part of the WhatsApp’s iOS, Android and Windows apps.
To activate the feature, go to Settings —> Account —> Two-step verification —> Enable
Once you press ‘Enable,’ the app will ask you to send an email and a six-digit passcode of your choice. While you can skip the email address part; you still have to add the six-digit passcode and remember it for opening your app in the future on another device.
Adding an email would also be a good idea as otherwise, you can be locked out of your Whatsapp account in case you forget the passcode. WhatsApp mentions that it will keep prompting the users to enter the code “periodically” to help them remember it.
It is to be noted that the passcode feature can be disabled in an already open app, so the feature doesn’t necessarily help if your phone falls into the wrong hands. But after you set up the feature; no one can verify your phone number without the passcode. Thus, it eliminates the chances of your account being stolen from afar.
What are your thoughts on the latest security feature? Do you think it was essential?
Comment below!