Turn on two-step verification on WhatsApp: a step-by-step guide

To steal a WhatsApp account, a scammer needs just one thing: the six-digit code WhatsApp sends by SMS when the app is set up on a new phone. They often get it by trickery: "I sent you a code by mistake, can you send it back to me?" Once the code is handed over, they take the account and write to all your contacts pretending to be you.

Two-step verification closes that door. It is a free WhatsApp feature, and it takes less than a minute to turn on.

How does it work?

You choose a secret six-digit PIN that only you know. From then on, whenever someone tries to set up your WhatsApp number on a new phone, WhatsApp asks for this PIN on top of the SMS code.

The result: even if the scammer gets your SMS code, they are stuck, because they do not know your PIN.

Turning it on, step by step

1. Open WhatsApp (or WhatsApp Business) and go to Settings.
2. Tap Account, then Two-step verification.
3. Tap Turn on.
4. Choose a six-digit PIN, then confirm it.
5. Add an email address. It is optional but strongly recommended: it lets you reset the PIN if you forget it.
6. Tap Done. That's it.

From time to time, WhatsApp will ask for the PIN to help you remember it. That is normal.

Good habits

• Do not pick an obvious PIN: not 123456, not your date of birth, not the end of your phone number.
• Never share this PIN or your SMS code with anyone, even someone claiming to be a relative, a WhatsApp employee or your mobile operator.
• Turn it on for every company phone, especially the WhatsApp Business number your customers write to.

And if a "relative" messages you from a new number asking for money, read our guide on the fake WhatsApp account scam.

In short

Settings › Account › Two-step verification: a six-digit PIN the scammer does not have. Twenty seconds to protect your account.

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