The feature tracker Wabetainfo saw a new passkey-related menu in the latest version of Whatsapp Beta for iOS 2.24.2.73, which suggests that support for the feature will soon come on iOS. The Android version of the app already allows users to set a passki which can be used to immediately log in to their account on the same device.
Passkey is a hardware-supported authentication system designed by Fido Alliance with companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft, which uses cryptography on users’ devices for passwordless sign-in, which is certified from touch ID or face ID. This also reduces the risk of fishing attack. On Android, Whatsapp Passkey is safely stored in Google’s password manager, while iOS is expected to use Apple’s Keychain system on iOS.
While the latest version of WhatsApp Beta for iOS includes the code for the new Passkey menu, you can’t really use it, as it is not enabled at the moment. Whatsapp will live this feature live for users on the first beta testing channel (via Testfall) before bringing passkey support for all users on the stable version of the app.
However, not all iOS users will have access to passkeys. While Passkey is supported on Android 9 or new version and passkey is supported, only iPhone models running on iOS 17 will support third-party access on passkeys. This means that if you have the iPhone XR or new model, which is updated to iOS 17, you will be able to use passkeys to log in to your WhatsApp account with face ID or touch ID in future.
