Facebook's Messenger app is getting more security features. The social network is testing out a feature to authenticate iPhone users via Face ID or Touch ID in an effort to offer more privacy.
Being one of the biggest communication platforms, Facebook Messenger is prone to abuse if someone gains access to a device in an unlocked state. While some people find it okay for other people to open their accounts, others want to keep it private, especially if the account holds sensitive information or topics not for everybody to see.
Facebook appears to be acknowledging the issue -- it is now testing a feature that requires users to unlock Messenger before getting to use the app. Users can still answer calls and reply to messages while the app is locked but to gain full access, users would have to unlock it first.
Messenger will unlock using Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, depending on a user's preference and their iPhone's settings, according to Engadget. Facebook is also developing the app in a way that it locks itself once a user leaves Messenger or over a period of time after closing it. This is so users won't have to unlock it again and again.
"We want to give people more choices and controls to protect their private messages, and recently, we began testing a feature that lets you unlock the Messenger app using your device's settings," Facebook said in a statement. "It's an added layer of privacy to prevent someone else from accessing your messages."
Facebook is currently testing the feature to a limited number of iOS users, but it's expected that the company will have a global rollout in the near future, including Messenger users on Android devices. No ETA has been announced yet as of this writing.
It's worth noting that security feature is similar to those found on other encrypted apps like Signal, which is growing more popular these days. This could be the reason why Facebook is making its Messenger app more secure. Facebook has an encrypted messaging feature, Secret Conversations, and has said it would like to one day make end-to-end encryption a default setting of the app. The company did not mention when this could happen, but it's likely it would take years.
The Face ID unlock feature is Facebook's latest feature update to Messenger. Previously, the company introduced Messenger Room, its new chat system that can accommodate 50 users in a single call.
