WhatsApp implements its fingerprint unlocking feature on Android

Whatsapp had been reported to have a fingerprint-unlocking feature in the works in early 2019. It was detected in its Android app beta, and had conferred the ability to lock the app using the appropriate sensor on a device with the Marshmallow (6.0) version of this OS or higher. Now, this feature has been rolled out to the general population of users with such devices.

Therefore, fingerprint unlocking is now present as of WhatsApp v2.19.308. It is found in the Settings menu by navigating through the Account section to the Privacy options. When activated, it requests that the user confirm the fingerprint they want to use prior to setting this lock mode. Once set up, the app can be set to lock itself immediately on closing

A user can also set time-outs of 1 or 30 minutes before the same lock sets in, just in case they don't want to have to use a fingerprint reader every time they re-open the app again. Accordingly, this update may substantially benefit WhatsApp security for Android users. On the other hand, the service would need to add an analogue for Face Unlock to help it approach the robust nature of the app's authentication settings on iOS.