WhatsApp: How to Lock WhatsApp Using Fingerprint and Face ID on Android Mobile and iPhone

Lock your WhatsApp by following these simple steps.

Published On: July 10, 2022

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WhatsApp, the popular messaging app used by millions of people around the globe comes with a bunch of security and privacy-centric features. The app comes with end-to-end encryption for messages, photos, videos, voice messages, documents, status updates and calls. Also, recently the company added a one-time view option and there are a few privacy options to hide your profile photo, read receipts, and status from people.

On the same lines, WhatsApp has also gained a built-in fingerprint lock option to secure your private conversation from being viewed by others. In order to use fingerprint lock, you’ll need to have it enabled in your phone’s settings. This option is present on all Android phones running on Android 6.0+. In this guide, we will take a look at how one can lock WhatsApp on Android and iPhone using the built-in WhatsApp feature as well as the phone’s built-in option. The latter is applicable to Android users. Let’s get started.

Also Read: WhatsApp Change Number: How to Change your Mobile Number on WhatsApp Using Different Methods

Table of Contents

How to Enable WhatsApp fingerprint lock on Android

Open the WhatsApp app on your Android phone
Tap on the menu option (three dots) on the top right
Select “Settings”
Tap on Account > Privacy
Scroll down and select “Fingerprint lock”
Turn on the “unlock with fingerprint scanner” option
Verify your fingerprint
Select time duration for fingerprint lock (immediately/ after 1 minute/ after 30 minutes

How to Disable WhatsApp fingerprint lock on Android

Open the WhatsApp app on your Android phone
Tap on the menu option (three dots) on the top right
Select “Settings”
Tap on Account > Privacy
Scroll down and select “Fingerprint lock”
Turn off the “unlock with fingerprint scanner” option

Also Read: WhatsApp Android to iOS: How to Transfer Chat Messages and Media from Android Mobile to iPhone

How to Enable WhatsApp fingerprint lock on iPhone

Open WhatsApp
Tap on the Settings tab in the bottom right of the screen
Tap on Account
Open Privacy
Tap on the Screen lock
Turn on (toggle) Require Face ID / Require Touch ID
Select time duration for Face ID or Touch ID

How to Disable WhatsApp fingerprint lock on iPhone

Open WhatsApp
Tap on the Settings tab in the bottom right of the screen
Tap on Account
Open Privacy
Tap on the Screen lock
Turn off (toggle) Require Face ID / Require Touch ID

How Use Phone’s Built-in App Lock to Lock WhatsApp

In case you want to use the phone’s built-in app lock option, you can do so by following the below-mentioned steps. One of the advantages that Android users can get here is the ability to unlock WhatsApp using the face unlock option. However, not all Android phones come with that option.

Open Settings
Search for “App lock”
Select App lock and then tap on the “App lock” option
Verify your identity or setup lock if prompted
For the list of apps, search for WhatsApp
Toggle the option next to WhatsApp to lock WhatsApp with the fingerprint scanner

Also Read: Whatsapp Web and App for PC: What are They, How to Use on Laptop, Top 5 Features

FAQs:

Can I answer calls if WhatsApp is locked?

Yes, you can still answer calls if the app is locked.

Will my WhatsApp Content be shown in notifications?

If you are using WhatsApp’s built-in fingerprint lock option, you will get an option to enable or disable “show content in notifications” inside Settings > Privacy > Fingerprint lock.