What is stopping WhatsApp from adding fingerprint protection?

NEW DELHI: WhatsApp’s new end-to-end encryption feature is surely a welcome move. It ensures that only a message's sender and recipient can read messages exchanged on the platform. This also means that now WhatsApp cannot give information to governments even if it wants to.

However, the most popular personal messaging app on Android still doesn’t come with a native password protection mechanism. The Facebook-owned chat app relies on third-party app-protection providers or Android’s native password security.


But using third-party apps to password-protect WhatsApp chats is not an ideal situation. The platform is too personal to trust any unofficial apps to secure it with. Especially when hackers hijacking apps to steal data are making headlines on a regular basis.

Also, with Android smartphone brands planning to add fingerprint scanners on smartphones across all price range, it becomes all the more critical.

So, wonder what is stopping WhatsApp from adding fingerprint protection? The answer is simple. There are not many users on Android Marshmallow yet to attract the interest of WhatsApp developers to add fingerprint logins.


One of the key features of Android Marshmallow operating system is fingerprint authentication. The feature is not just limited to unlocking smartphones. Developers can also add fingerprint authentication in their apps. However, with just 7.5% users on the latest Android Marshmallow OS, the feature is expected to take time to arrive.

While Google and its OEM partners push more users to Android M, WhatsApp in the meantime should look at launching its official WhatsApp locker app. And most users feel it is just about time WhatsApp launches it.