How to Block WhatsApp on IOS Using Touch ID or Face ID
WhatsApp has a new security feature for iOS. In version 2.19.20, iPhone and iPad users can now lock the application using the biometric locks of their devices – Touch ID or Face ID, depending on the capabilities of your device. Adding a lock requires you to re-authenticate every time you open the app, even if your iPhone has never been locked. This is a really nice feature if you are the type of person who lends your phone to people, or you have nosy friends and family who want to see your private conversations or flip through your photo library uninvited.
Setting up this new feature is also incredibly easy. In WhatsApp, click on the “Settings” tab and go to the “Privacy” menu. Scroll down and tap Screen Lock, then turn it on. In the lock screen menu, you can also set the interval that WhatsApp should wait before asking you to log in again.
Given how easy it is to sign in with your thumb or face, it’s probably best to just select “immediately”, which is the most secure option.
However, there is one catch. Even with a screen lock, you can directly reply to incoming messages with notifications and answer incoming voice calls without unlocking the app. The extent to which someone can exploit these loopholes is limited: if you try to access another part of the app through the voice call screen, you will be prompted to unlock the app. It’s the same with the text notification chat history. However, the point is that even with this feature, the application is not completely blocked.
However, there is a way to prevent unauthorized users from bypassing the app lock in text notifications. Disabling message previews in the iOS system settings prevents you from responding in chats outside of WhatsApp and, as a result, prevents other people from sending replies without your permission (hand or face).
To do this, open the Settings app and scroll down to WhatsApp settings. Click on it, select “Notifications” and set “Preview” to “Never”. Of course, there is a trade-off: now you won’t be able to read messages from people right away, but if you really want to keep your conversations private, you probably shouldn’t enable this feature anyway. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a way to get WhatsApp to verify your fingerprint or face before taking a call.
Even so, Biometric App Lock is a huge security improvement for WhatsApp. I keep my fingers crossed that more and more iOS apps are adopting it, or better yet, Apple is adding biometric locks for apps or even files in iOS at the system level.