A new security feature introduced by WhatsApp on iPhones this month has a serious bug as it is allowing users to bypass the privacy feature, the service said on Wednesday after users posted about the problem on social media.
iPhone users in the latest update can secure their WhatsApp account with Touch ID or Face ID to open the app but users were able to bypass those security features by using the iPhone’s “share” function to send files over WhatsApp.
In short, WhatsApp can be opened without the need of Touch ID or Face ID. This security system fails only when users select any other option apart from “immediately” as It does not work if it is set to immediately.
In case if you have set ‘Require Touch ID/Face ID’ to any other option other than ‘Immediately’ This can be changed by following these steps, open WhatsApp and go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy > Screen Lock and select ‘Immediately.’
A user named “u/de_X_ter” wrote a Reddit post detailing the problem and Reuters verified the bug.
Later, a WhatsApp spokesperson while confirming this bug stated that “We are aware of the issue and a fix will be available shortly. In the meantime, we recommend that people set the screen lock option to ‘immediately,.’”