WhatsApp is further enhancing its Chat Lock feature that it rolled out earlier this year with a new Secret Code function. As its name suggests, this allows you to add a unique password to your private conversations to further ensure that no one else finds or reads them.
To recap, Chat Lock is an extra layer of security which lets you, well, lock up certain chats that are hidden from your inbox and can only be accessed by either your device’s password or biometrics, such as fingerprints and face scans. Moreover, once a chat is locked, the notifications from that thread are also hidden. This feature is available for both individual and group chats, and can be activated by tapping on the chat you want to hide and selecting the lock option.
The new Secret Code addition essentially adds an additional layer of security for your locked chats on WhatsApp, which requires you to set a password or code from the one needed for your device. According to Meta, this can include letters, numbers, special characters and even emojis. Furthermore, if you hide the locked chats folder from your chatlist, they can then only be discovered by typing your secret code in the search bar.
The company notes that If the extra secrecy doesn’t suit your needs, you can still choose to have the locked chats appear in your WhatsApp chatlist. In addition, whenever there’s a new chat which you want to lock, you can now long press to lock it rather than visiting the chat’s settings.
Secret Code is rolled out to WhatsApp users in the US starting today. Unfortunately, those in other parts of the world, including Malaysia, will have to wait a bit longer as a global rollout is only expected “in the coming months.”
(Source: WhatsApp [official blog])
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