Slow but sure seems to be the motto followed by Whatsapp as it ushers in a laundry list of features. One such coveted feature is the fingerprint unlock is apparently live for beta testers.
The new feature is spotted on v2.19.221 (Beta) by WABetaInfo, an online watchdog known for unraveling new and hidden Whatsapp updates. Your phone must be running on Android Marshmallow and above. Needless to say, it should have a fingerprint reader to take advantage of this feature.
Whatsapp Fingerprint Unlock settings
You can activate the lock and tweak its options by going to Whatsapp’s Privacy settings > Fingerprint Unlock.
Once you enable the feature, you will have to verify your fingerprint to unlock and use the app. You can still preview messages, reply, and answer calls from the notification shade, if you turn on the option which says – “Show Content in notifications”.
Further, when the Fingerprint Lock is on, the widget content will also be hidden.
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The new update lets you choose how quickly the app should auto-lock itself. The various durations given are – Immediately, After 1 minute and After 30 minutes. If you pick the first option, Whatsapp will be locked immediately and the constant prompt screen can be irksome. If that’s the case, you may go with the other two options.
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The new features seem to be rolled out in stages. Alternately, you could sideload the beta apk here. Still, if the new feature is absent, you are advised to wait till the stable release.
Moving ahead, the list of Whatsapp features will reportedly include an Instagram-like Boomerang feature, a dark mode and many more. Facebook might christen it as “Whatsapp from Facebook” to assert its digital dominance.
