WhatsApp on Android devices will now allow users to unlock with face recognition as well as fingerprint recognition.

WABetaInfo has examined the newly released beta version v2.20.203.3 and released details of this feature. iOS version of WhatsApp already supports both Face ID and Touch ID, but the current Android version of WhatsApp only supports fingerprint recognition WhatsApp for Android currently only supports fingerprint authentication.

Downloading the beta version does not yet allow this feature, but given the menu in this version, we expect a usable version to be available in the near future.

WhatsApp is already secured with fingerprint recognition, and that option remains available. However, this feature has been renamed from Fingerprint Lock to Biometric Lock to reflect a more diverse set of options. It works even if no fingerprint is registered and only facial recognition is enabled.

All recent Android phones are capable of facial recognition. However, without additional sensors that scan not only the image but also the shape of the face, these solutions are less secure than Apple's Face ID, which uses an infrared dot projector; the Android equivalent is Face Unlock on the Google Pixel 4? Huawei's Mate 30 and P40 series, or the newly released 3D Face Unlock on the Mate 40 Pro.

Another new feature introduced in this beta build is "Join Missed Calls." This allows users to easily join a chat group voice call by opening the app later during the call, even if they initially reject the call. Like the biometric lock, this feature is not yet available, but appears to be well on its way to going live.