WhatsApp introduces new device verification feature

Meta-owned WhatsApp has announced new security features to the platform, including - Account Protect, Device Verification, and Automatic Security Codes, which the company will be adding in the coming months.

Now, the company will double-check that it's really you when you switch your WhatsApp account to a new device - using the 'Account Protect' feature. "From now on, we may ask you on your old device to verify that you want to take this step as an extra security check. This feature can help alert you to an unauthorised attempt to move your account to another device," WhatsApp said in a blogpost.

To counter the growing menace of mobile device malware and its implications for personal privacy and security, the company has introduced a new feature called 'Device Verification'. This feature will add checks to help authenticate your account - with no action needed from you - and better protect you if your device is compromised, which will let you continue using WhatsApp uninterrupted.

Under 'Automatic Security Codes', the company is rolling out a security feature based on a process called "Key Transparency" that allows you to automatically verify that you have a secure connection, meaning you are chatting with the intended recipient. When you click on the Encryption tab under a contact's info, you'll be able to verify right away that your personal conversation is secured.