This WhatsApp privacy feature makes your chats ‘more private’

WhatsApp has a new privacy feature which will help users keep chats more secure on their phones.

WhatsApp fingerprint unlock. (Pixabay)

WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in India. The Facebook-owned company has 400 million users alone in India. WhatsApp is widely used for not just personal chats but even work conversations. There's a lot that is discussed on WhatsApp and keeping those chats safe becomes utterly important.

WhatsApp can be locked like other apps through third-party services available on Google Play. But the messaging app also has its own built-in security. WhatsApp recently rolled out fingerprint unlock for its beta platform on Android. WhatsApp beta users on Android can now unlock the app using their fingerprint.

WhatsApp is yet to roll out fingerprint unlock to its stable version but here's how you can use the feature now. First users would need to enroll into WhatsApp Beta Programme through this link. Once registered, users can experience unreleased beta features on WhatsApp. Users can also opt out of the beta programme anytime.

Here's how to use WhatsApp's fingerprint unlock feature

Open the Settings menu and select Account > Privacy.

Scroll down and select Fingerprint lock from the list of options.

Enable 'Unlock with fingerprint' to start using the feature.

WhatsApp will ask you to confirm your fingerprint for the app.

You can choose WhatsApp to automatically lock the app immediately, after 1 minute or after 30 minutes.

WhatsApp also lets you choose if message content should be shown in notifications.

This feature was first rolled out for iPhone earlier this February. On iPhones, users can unlock through Face ID and Touch ID. WhatsApp users on iPhone can also follow the same procedure. On iOS, the feature will be visible as 'Screen Lock'.