{
  "id": 3267945,
  "title": "WhatsApp two-step verification codes are ditching six-digit PINs for full passwords",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/whatsapp-two-step-verification-codes-are-ditching-six-digit-pins-for",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-25T13:10:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "9to5Google",
    "slug": "9to5google",
    "url": "https://9to5google.com/2026/08/25/whatsapp-two-step-verification-codes-are-ditching-six-digit-pins-for-full-passwords/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "WhatsApp is enhancing its security measures by replacing traditional six-digit numerical PINs with full passwords for two-step verification. This update is part of the company's celebration of one billion users engaging with passkeys. The new security feature involves more robust two-step verification codes, which are now longer, alphanumeric, and may include special characters. These changes aim to fortify account protection by making passwords harder to guess, thus mitigating the risk of unauthorized access even if a one-time passcode is compromised. WhatsApp users who previously used simple PINs like \"123456\" are encouraged to upgrade to this enhanced security measure. Additionally, WhatsApp is introducing a new screen for incoming calls from unknown numbers on Android devices. This new interface will display context such as the caller's country of origin and whether the number is included in any of the user's groups, providing users with more information before answering potentially suspicious calls.",
  "summary": "WhatsApp is making some security upgrades, including turning two-step verification codes into full passwords instead of the traditional six-digit numerical PIN.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}