The bypass method works only if the user has set to unlock any other option than “Immediately”.WhatsApp officially rolled out support for Touch ID or Face ID for iPhone users earlier this month. Now, a bug that lets anyone bypass the authentication systems has been discovered. A Reddit user explained in a post how anyone can bypass Face ID and Touch ID to open the WhatsApp app.
The user pointed out the bypass method works only if the user has set to unlock any other option than “Immediately”. To give a perspective, WhatsApp users get options to unlock the app immediately, after one minute, after 15 minutes or after one hour.
The bug is activated only when other options like after one minute, after 15 minutes or after one hour are set. It does not work if it is set to immediately. This can be changed when “Require Face ID” is enabled from WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy > Screen Lock.
To bypass Touch ID and Face ID on iPhone, one will need to open iOS Share Sheet on any app and choose WhatsApp. The app can be opened without the need of Touch ID or Face ID, even when one exits out to the iOS Home Screen and open WhatsApp after that.
Also read: WhatsApp for iOS enables Face ID, Touch ID for iPhone
Indianexpress.com was also independently able to verify the bug as well. Meanwhile, WhatsApp has said a statement that it is aware of the issue. “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,” reads a WhatsApp statement.
WhatsApp support for Touch ID or Face ID to unlock the app is available for WhatsApp iOS version 2.19.20. When enabled, the app requires the user to rely on Touch ID or Face ID every time they access the app. The feature is not available for Android users as of now.
