WhatsApp may seem safe, but that is not always the case by default. Without this function, your account is surprisingly open to prying eyes.
WhatsApp seems safe, but without this feature your account is still vulnerable
Although the chats in WhatsApp are quite well secured, the backups that WhatsApp makes are not protected by default. Those copies are stored in your iCloud without an extra lock on them. Then if someone has access to your iCloud account, they can essentially view your entire chat history. Of course that doesn’t feel pleasant at all.
WhatsApp has long had an option to add end-to-end encryption to your backups. Neither WhatsApp nor Apple will be able to read your backups, nor will they have access to the code needed to unlock the backup. You can set a password for this code yourself or use a 64-digit encryption code.
This code is a bit cumbersome, because you have to remember a password or a very long string of characters. That’s why WhatsApp also has an option to lock your backups with a passkey.
That sounds technical, but in practice it means that you can protect your backup with something you already use. These are, for example, your fingerprint, your facial scan or the PIN code that unlocks your phone. You no longer have to think of complicated passwords or write down long codes.
To secure your backups and make WhatsApp less vulnerable to malicious parties, follow these steps.
Protect WhatsApp backups with a passkey on your iPhone
- Launch WhatsApp on your iPhone;
- Tap ‘Settings’ at the bottom;
- Scroll down a little and choose ‘Chats’;
- Tap ‘Backup chats’;
- Choose the ‘End-to-end encryption’ option;
- Tap the ‘Use passkey’ button and follow the on-screen instructions.
Benefits of backups with a passkey
A big plus of this new way of logging in is that your password is no longer a weak spot. With the old method, a website must store your password, and if that site is hacked you have a chance that your password will be exposed. With Passkeys, a website no longer needs to know your password word. Even if a data breach occurs, there is nothing for malicious parties to steal.
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