WhatsApp is introducing a new privacy feature called Chat Lock, which lets you hide any chat behind, as you might guess from the name, a locked folder. This extra layer of security lets you lock up certain chats that are hidden from your inbox and can only be accessed by either your device password or biometrics, such as fingerprints and face scans.
Moreover, once a chat is locked, the notifications from that thread are also hidden. Chat Lock is available for both individual and group chats and you can activate it by tapping on the chat you want to hide and selecting the lock option.
To unveil hidden chats, you just need to pull down on your inbox and enter your password or biometric. Something like this isn’t new as WhatsApp has long had an option for you to lock the entire app behind Face ID or fingerprints, but this lets you have more granular control in case you still to share your phone with someone who wants to use the app.
WhatsApp said that Chat Lock is rolling out now but as with most gradual global rollouts, it might take a few weeks for everyone to get the update. In the coming months, the company added that it will be adding more functions for the feature, including locking chats on companion devices and even creating a custom password for the hidden chats that differs from your phone password.
Of course, there are other privacy measures that the app allows you to take if such a thing is a high priority for you. For instance, you can set a self-destruct timer for individual chats and if you want to go further, you could set a global timer where all your messages will disappear after the set period, which ranges from 24 hours to 90 days.
(Source: WhatsApp)
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