WhatsApp, the Meta-owned instant messaging app with more than three billion users worldwide, is getting a new feature that will help users when switching devices or reinstalling the app. In a blog post, the company said it is bringing passkey support for end-to-end encrypted chat backups, allowing users to restore backups using face, fingerprint or screen lock authentication from their previous device.

While WhatsApp has been offering end-to-end encrypted chats for years, the app got the option to encrypt backups in 2021. However, it required users to set up a password or securely store a 64-character encryption key. But with passkey now coming to chat backups, one can simply use any of the aforementioned authentication methods to restore their chat backups. This not only makes it easy to switch devices but also eliminates the need to remember lengthy passwords or carry the long encryption key wherever they are going.

The new feature will be rolling out over the coming weeks. (Image Source: Meta)For context, end-to-end encryption makes sure that your WhatsApp calls and messages are only visible to the person you are texting and talking with. This means no third party, including Google and Meta, will be able to read what you are sending or receiving.

To find the new option, open WhatsApp on your primary device, head over to Settings and tap on Chats. On the screen that appears, click on “End-t0-end encrypted backup” and you will be able to use passkeys if the feature is available on your account. As is the case with the majority of WhatsApp features, Meta says passkey support for chat backup will be rolling out gradually “over the coming weeks and months”, which means you may have to wait a while before it is available on your account.

Last week, the Meta-owned instant messaging app introduced a new screen sharing warning alongwith an AI-powered scam detection tool aimed at fighting scams.