WhatsApp is bringing face unlock support to Android
- WhatsApp will reportedly get support for face unlocking on Android in a future update.
- The app is also designed to facilitate participation in an ongoing group call through notifications of missed calls.
According to reports, WhatsApp will bring two functions to the app in a future stable version. The first will appeal to those who regularly miss group calls, while the second is likely to charm Google Pixel 4 users in particular.
As described by tipster WABetaInfoUsers may soon be able to join ongoing group calls that they missed from a new prompt. If a contact invites an unavailable user to a call, that user can join or ignore the ongoing call the next time they open WhatsApp. This feature appears to be intended to streamline group calls. Functionally, it would also bring WhatsApp closer to Zoom and Skype, which users can use to participate in ongoing calls at will.
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Future WhatsApp builds on Android will also get a feature that will be available for the first time on iOS. The fingerprint lock is renamed “Biometric Lock” and expanded to include face unlocking and “other unique identifiers”. The general functionality of the function remains unchanged. Users can automatically lock the app after a certain time and unlock it with their fingerprint or face.
It’s a welcome feature for Android devices like the Pixel 4 that are mostly face-unlocking. These users should now have the opportunity to further improve the security of the chat app. It is unclear whether other novel authentication methods like LG’s Hand ID will be supported.
There’s no timeline for these features to be released for the stable builds of WhatsApp, but they seem easier to integrate than the long-awaited linked device feature.
