WhatsApp has announced that it is rolling out fingerprint authentication support for WhatsApp on Android, following a beta phase that has lasted since August. The new update brings the Android version to closer parity with the iOS version which added support for Face ID and Touch ID earlier this year. With fingerprint authentication, users will have a convenient way to secure their personal communications from prying eyes.
The fingerprint lock settings are not overly extensive, if you head to Settings > Account > Privacy > Fingerprint lock, you’ll be able to toggle the feature on and off, set how long you’d like WhatsApp to wait for automatic lock to turn on, and you have the option decide whether to show content in message notifications or leave them hidden.
In order to use the new feature, you’ll want to ensure that you check the Google Play Store and apply any WhatsApp updates that are available. Apparently, if you already use an app that requires your fingerprint to open apps, you’ll want to make sure that you disable this for WhatsApp if you plan to use WhatsApp’s own implementation otherwise you have to verify yourself twice.
If for some reason the feature doesn’t show up for you after you’ve updated WhatsApp, you can try backing up your messages and performing a reinstall of the software.