You Can Now Login to WhatsApp Using Your Email Address
WhatsApp is the popular text messaging app for billions of people to exchange text messages with friends and family. But even with such a huge user base, Meta has been slow to implement certain features and quality of life improvements that we could all benefit from.
Take authentication for example: Until now, WhatsApp required you to authenticate your account via SMS when logging in. It’s fine when it works, but you don’t always have access to SMS. If all you have is a Wi-Fi connection, for example, or you don’t have your phone handy, you won’t be able to receive an SMS code to verify your identity. An alternative authentication method will make a big difference here.
And finally we have it. For the first time, Meta has added the ability to verify your email address using your WhatsApp account. Once you do this, you can use a code sent to your email to verify your identity rather than relying on traditional SMS. As noted by WABetaInfo , this change is due to the latest WhatsApp update for iOS. You wouldn’t know it by looking at WhatsApp version 23.24.70 on the App Store: the release notes only mention that the update fixes a bug causing the app to slow down for some users.
To be clear, this doesn’t completely replace SMS. You still need to link your phone number to WhatsApp as you have always done. Instead, it’s an additional verification option for those times when you can’t or don’t want to use SMS.
How to Verify Your Email on WhatsApp
To take advantage of the new feature, update WhatsApp to the latest version, then go to Settings > Account . Here you will see a new Email Address option. Tap it, then enter the email address you want to use to verify your WhatsApp account. Click Next and wait for the six-digit WhatsApp code to arrive in your inbox. If your email account is set up in iOS 17, you might even see the option to autofill a code from within the Mail app. Either way, enter the code, then click Confirm .
Once WhatsApp verifies your email address, you’re done. Going forward, if you sign into WhatsApp on a new device or need to sign in to your app again, you’ll be able to authenticate using your email address rather than SMS.