WhatsApp has finally started rolling out an update allowing users to link their accounts to their email addresses. As a result, it is now possible to authenticate on WhatsApp using email verification instead of relying on SMS. Although the feature was initially available only in the beta version of WhatsApp, it has now been made available to the larger audience. Version 23.24.70 of WhatsApp for iPhone introduced this email verification feature, as noted by WABetaInfo.
To add an email address to the account, users need to simply tap on the ‘Your Profile’ tab, choose the Account menu, and tap on Email Address. The email address will only be used for accessing the account and will not be visible to other users. However, it’s important to note that the email address is only used for authentication, so a valid phone number is still necessary to use WhatsApp. The company has been working on a new feature that will allow users to set a username that can be shared with others instead of a phone number, but this feature is yet to be released.
Earlier in the month, WhatsApp released a new macOS app that is completely rebuilt to run natively on Mac computers and introduced the option to use two WhatsApp accounts on the same device. It has also added support for passkeys on Android. Users can find WhatsApp for free on the App Store and they are encouraged to install the latest version to access all the new features.
