Although you can’t yet use WhatsApp on more than one phone at a time – which frustrates many of its users – it East possible to connect on multiple devices, such as laptops, PCs and tablets.

That’s thanks to a relatively new feature that lets you access your messages on a computer even if you don’t have your phone nearby. It also means that a lot more people are using WhatsApp in their browser because it’s much faster to type replies on a desktop keyboard than on your phone screen.

It’s certainly convenient, but a web browser is also the least secure way to use WhatsApp.

Messages are always end-to-end encrypted, but the web “application” is the riskiest to use. This is because, like all web apps, they are served directly to users and are not checked by third-party app stores for malware. In theory, you could inadvertently install a malicious browser extension that could compromise this code and pose a security risk.

However, starting today, you will be able to install a browser extension called Code verification which eliminates the risk of using a tampered WhatsApp web. You’ll find it in the extension stores on Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

When you go to web.whasapp.com, it checks that the code hasn’t been modified in any way and confirms it so you know it’s safe to use. This extra layer of protection means WhatsApp offers the highest level of security (when using the web app) of any end-to-end encrypted messaging service.

Code Verify comes from WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, and is automatically pinned to Firefox and Microsoft Edge browsers, but Chrome users will need to pin it manually. You’ll need to do this so you can see the green indicator on the extension’s icon telling you that everything is fine. (If not, it will be orange or red.)

Code verification is nothing new, but using a browser extension that automates the process each time you access the WhatsApp web, and the Code Verify extension itself is open source so it can be used for other web applications besides WhatsApp.

Open source also means anyone can see how the extension works and see that it doesn’t share any data or metadata with WhatsApp, can’t read the messages you send and receive. In fact, neither WhatsApp nor Meta will even know that you downloaded the extension because it is completely separate from WhatsApp.

Either way, this is great news for WhatsApp Web users as they will be able to see at a glance whether or not it is safe to use on any given day.

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