Meta's WhatsApp and Google trial new authentication methods to replace passwords and PINs

WhatsApp is experimenting with replacing the six‑digit numeric PIN used for two‑step verification with an alphanumeric password of 6 to 20 characters that must include at least one letter and one number. The change, observed in a beta version for Android, is intended to make account protection harder to guess, but the feature is still under development and not yet rolled out to all users.

Google is testing a video‑selfie login as an additional recovery option. Users record a short video of their face, and the system uses liveness detection and AI checks to confirm the live user and guard against deep‑fake attacks. The feature is limited to a subset of accounts and excludes Google Workspace, minor accounts, and Advanced Protection users. Recorded videos are encrypted and can be removed by the user at any time.