New security features to be rolled out for WhatsApp; aim to increase account privacy, protection

WhatsApp users will soon need to have their old devices on hand to transfer their account access to a new device.

This is a new security feature called Account Protect which will alert users of any possible unauthorised attempts to access their account from other devices. It is said to be a way for WhatsApp to “double check that it’s really you”.

Announced on Friday (Apr 14), a series of new in-app security features to increase users’ account privacy, authentication and protection will be rolled out by WhatsApp in the coming months. 

The features aim to provide WhatsApp users with additional layers of protection over pre-existing features like security verifications. The updates should also reduce the “risk of unauthorised access to users’ accounts and messages”.

Another security feature, Device Verification, will help prevent users’ from mobile malware using their accounts to send unwanted messages by adding behind-the-scenes authentication checks. WhatsApp will still be able to run uninterrupted while these checks happen.

This feature was created due to the growing threat of malware, which has the capacity to access online accounts without users’ knowledge and permission, and thus hinders account privacy and WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption. 

Currently, Device Verification has already been rolled out to all WhatsApp users on Android, and will be available to iOS users soon.

Automatic Security Codes will also be implemented, on top of pre-existing verification features like individualised security codes. This will further protect users when chatting with the intended recipients through the deployment of key transparency that verifies whether users’ connection is secure.

It will ensure that messages between recipients are kept encrypted and private, while also making the verification process more accessible.

Aside from the additional security features, WhatsApp also encourages users to turn on two-step verification and end-to-end encrypted backups.

More information about the latest security features can be found on WhatsApp’s blog post.