Popular texting platform WhatsApp has been in the news for months in terms of its Username feature.
We’ve heard about the idea of launching unique user handles so that others can be reached with ease. Imagine sharing your ID without revealing your number. But wait, there might be more.
A new beta build revealed how the app is also working on further enhancing the feature’s privacy and security with the help of a PIN. This keeps spam limited and prevents unwanted conversations at the same time.
As per a new report from WABetaInfo, there is a hint about PIN support when a username is selected. While it’s optional in use, it’s going to assist in user security. When someone wishes to interact, they need to plug in digits to begin the conversation.
Therefore, spammers will find it hard to target users and threat actors will also face obstacles in pinning victims. Every time you feel threatened, you can alter your PIN. If you wish to remove the feature, the app will give users the chance to switch it off completely. This ensures the app is more easily approachable and accessible.
By using the old ID technique, users get to hide phone numbers as a whole and that makes the app more private for use. However, the important thing to remember here is how all user handles and PINs are still a feature that’s under the development phase. It’s not available to users right now, neither has it been rolled out as a beta for testers yet.
It might be possible that this feature is never rolled out altogether but we’ll keep you updated on that front.
Image: WBI
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