WhatsApp has released a new security feature that allows users to lock their chats and protect their most private conversations. Here’s how the function works!
WhatsApp decided to introduce the ‘WhatsApp Chat Lock Feature’ to give its users more privacy and security. This feature was recently announced by the Meta-owned instant messaging application so that people can protect their confidential chats behind multiple layers of security.
What is WhatsApp Chat Lock Feature?
This new WhatsApp feature allows users to choose which personal and group chats they want to keep private or hidden. This feature has been made available globally by the company.
According to the WhatsApp blog “Locking a chat takes that thread out of the inbox and puts it behind its own folder that can only be accessed with your device password or biometric, like a fingerprint. It also automatically hides the contents of that chat in notifications, too.”
This feature complements WhatsApp’s already secure platform, which includes options for archiving chats, end-to-end encryption, encrypted backup, disappearing messages, screenshot blocking, and other privacy features.
What are the Benefits of the WhatsApp Chat Lock Feature?
This feature is ideal for people who frequently share devices in offices or at work. In WhatsApp’s official video, it is clearly demonstrated that this feature can be useful for people who share their phone with others, such as family members, which is fairly common in some regions.
“We think this feature will be great for people who have reason to share their phones from time to time with a family member or those moments where someone else is holding your phone at the exact moment an extra special chat arrives,” the instant messaging app said when it launched the feature.
“You can lock a chat by tapping the name of a one-to-one or group and selecting the lock option. To reveal these chats, slowly pull down on your inbox and enter your phone password or biometric.”
How to Use WhatsApp Chat Lock Feature?
To lock a WhatsApp chat, here are the steps mentioned by WhatsApp Help Center :
- Update WhatsApp to the latest version
- Tap Chat info then Chat Lock
- Tap Lock this chat with fingerprint or Lock This Chat with Face ID.
- Tap View to see the chat in the Locked Chats folder.
To view the locked chats here are the steps:
- Go to chats and Swipe down slowly.
- Tap the folder labeled “Locked Chats”
- Provide your biometric authentication- FaceID or Fingerprint to unlock
- Tap the chat to view or send a message
The Help Center section mentions that “When chats are locked, the notification content and contacts are hidden.
“The notification will show as WhatsApp: 1 new message.
To help keep media private, you’ll have to turn the chat lock off to save media to your phone’s gallery.”
