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WeChat officially launches voice-enabled login

Voiceprint has been announced as a new feature that allows users to log into their account with the sound of their voice. WeChat also releases 6.2 update featuring translation capabilities for Moments.
Written by Eileen Yu, Senior Contributing Editor

WeChat has officially launched a new feature that will allow its users to log into their accounts using their voice.

The Voiceprint function is optional and can be activated, verified, and reset in the app's setting, it said in a statement Thursday. The mobile messaging app is owned by Chinese tech giant, Tencent Holdings.

With the new feature, WeChat users can choose to log into their accounts by verbally reciting a string of numbers, bypassing the need for a password. The sound of the users' voice will be used to verify their identify before they are given access to the app.

Tencent's Malaysia and Singapore country manager of international business group, Louis Song, said: "As WeChat develops further into an advance ecosystem that provides various online elements from messaging, games, entertainment, media content, and e-commerce, we are actively seeking ways to further enhance our user's security and privacy data.

"Voiceprint feature offers a unique solution for user to access additional level of protection in which they are able to utilize according to their preferred option--whether its voice or password recognized," Song said.

While the function was only just announced, Voiceprint was stealthily enabled via an earlier update in March.

Also, today, WeChat launched a new update on the Android and Apple iOS platforms. New features in its 6.2 release include translation capabilities with support for 21 languages for Moments, which is equivalent to Facebook Timeline, and enhancements for Android Wear devices.

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