As you all know, every one of us uses WhatsApp. There is almost no one who does not use WhatsApp because WhatsApp has become the most used social media platform for chatting, communicating, and connecting with people. If any of us needs to contact anyone, talk, or stay connected, we choose WhatsApp. It is said that when a person wakes up in the morning, the first thing he does is check his WhatsApp.
On WhatsApp, we share various images, videos, private conversations and various secrets with our loved ones, which if leaked, can cause us a lot of problems. Therefore, securing our WhatsApp account has become very important so that hackers cannot hack it or anyone can hack it, our personal conversations do not get leaked, and our privacy remains strong.
So in today's article, we will discuss how we can secure our account so that no one can hack it and our personal things remain safe and none of our words or secrets are leaked. In this article, we will discuss all the things through which you can keep your account secure and avoid such problems.
1. Turn On App Lock
The first thing you need to do to secure your WhatsApp account is to turn on the app lock. WhatsApp App Lock helps protect your private chats from other people who use your phone. When this feature is enabled, WhatsApp can only be opened using your fingerprint, face lock, or screen lock. This means even if someone unlocks your phone, they still cannot open WhatsApp. You can also set the app to lock immediately, so it locks as soon as you exit the app. Turning on App Lock is one of the easiest and most effective ways to keep your WhatsApp account secure. If someone tries to link your WhatsApp, it require your fingerprint or face, only then will they be able to link.
On Android:
- Settings → Privacy → App lock
- Turn it on and set it to lock immediately.
On iPhone:
- Settings → Privacy → Screen Lock
- Enable Face ID or Touch ID
2. Enable Two-Step Verification
The second thing you need to do to secure your WhatsApp account is to turn on Two Setup Verification. This provides more security to your WhatsApp account. This is a six-digit PIN. Suppose, if someone tries to log in to your WhatsApp, even if he verifies your OTP, he will not be able to access your WhatsApp until he enters this six-digit PIN. It also takes two to three days to reset it. During this period, your WhatsApp could not be accessed, so during this time you can get time to recover your WhatsApp.
Note: You should try to remember this six-digit password. If you forget it, you will not be able to use your WhatsApp for two to three days. If you do not add an email address.
How to enable 2 setup verification?
- Open WhatsApp
- Click on three dots in the top right corner
- Go to Settings → Account
- Tap on 2 setup verification
- Enter 6 digit Pin
3. Add Email Adress
Now when you register a WhatsApp account, it asks you to add an email address. You need to add an email address so that even if you forget the 2 setup verification codes, you can reset it through that email.
Steps to add email adress
⇒ Open WhatsApp
⇒ Click on three dots
⇒ Go to Settings
⇒ Select account
⇒ Tap on add email adress
4. Check and Manage Linked Devices
Linked devices is the biggest reason people get their WhatsApp hacked. People link our WhatsApp and we don't even know it. WhatsApp is also used by uneducated people and they don't know about that what is WhatsApp privacy and how we can strong it? People break their privacy by linking their WhatsApp and steal their personal data and later blackmail them. Most of the educated people don't even know what the WhatsApp link is.
How to review?
- Open WhatsApp.
- Go to Settings → Linked Devices.
- View all active sessions.
- Tap on any unfamiliar device → Log out.
- It’s a good habit to check this every few weeks.
5. Avoid third party apps
There are numerous modified versions of WhatsApp on the Internet that promise to provide many more features than WhatsApp, including ability to recover deleted messages hide second tick, download anti-view once files, freeze last seen and there are many such features which you do not get in the official WhatsApp, so people can use modified versions of WhatsApp to use or take advantage of these features. Some of the famous modified versions are GB WhatsApp, Blue WhatsApp.
If you use these WhatsApp then firstly, there is a risk of your data being stolen, secondly, the official WhatsApp will temporarily ban your account, there are also chances that they permanently deactivate your account and you will never be able to create WhatsApp on that number again.
Apps like GBWhatsApp, FMWhatsApp, and Blue Plus WhatsApp are not official WhatsApp apps. They are not owned or supported by Meta.{alertError}
So you should avoid using these apps so that your privacy remain strong.
6. Stay Alert to Phishing Scams
Many such apps have been launched which claim that if you link your WhatsApp, you will get money. Apart from this, you can link other people's WhatsApp and in return you will get money. So, you should not use any such app and avoid fraud. Most of the people do not know about WhatsApp linking and they get their WhatsApp linked in the greed of money and all their data gets stolen and then later they are blackmailed.
Earlier, WhatsApp was linked by scanning the QR code but now after the update of WhatsApp, we can also link WhatsApp with the mobile number. We have to enter the mobile number of the WhatsApp that we want to link. After that, a code is generated which we have to enter in the mobile in which WhatsApp is logged in and WhatsApp is linked. Many people are not told about this, that is why these days people link their WhatsApp and their data gets stolen.
7. Secure Chat Backups
WhatsApp protects your messages with end-to-end encryption. But messages backed up to Google Drive or iCloud are not automatically protected. If you want to keep your backup secure, you must enable the encrypted backup option yourself, otherwise the backup could be at risk.
How to enable encrypted backup
- Settings → Chats → Chat Backup
- Tap End-to-end Encrypted Backup → Turn On
- Set a password or 64-digit encryption key
- This keeps your backups private.
8. Control who can see your personal detail
Keep your profile photo, about info, and last seen limited to selected people only for maintain better privacy.
Go to: Settings → Privacy
You can customize visibility for:
- Last seen & online
- Profile photo
- About
- Status
- Read receipts
9. Keep WhatsApp updated
Updates typically fix the security issues, making the app more secure and reducing the risk of damage.
Conclusion
So this was our article about how to secure WhatsApp. I hope you must have liked it. By following the sample steps, you can avoid many losses and keep your WhatsApp safe. If you liked our article, then share it with your friends so that they can also secure their WhatsApp.