WhatsApp tightens account security with stronger two-step verification and more

WhatsApp announced Tuesday that it’s launching new security features and updates to help users keep their accounts secure, including stronger two-step verification and the ability to add more than one passkey to your account. The Meta-owned app is also adding context to calls from unknown numbers.

The updates come as WhatsApp and other messaging apps, such as Signal and Telegram, look to make account security easier and more accessible for everyday users, especially as phishing and hacking attempts have become more sophisticated over the years. Until now, WhatsApp’s two-step verification has used a six-digit PIN as an extra layer of protection to prevent someone from taking over an account even if they’re able to obtain the user’s one-time passcode. Now, users can choose a longer, alphanumeric password with special characters to make the PIN harder to guess.

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