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Do you know how to use WhatsApp Chat Lock feature? WhatsApp already lets you lock the app with a passcode or biometrics (fingerprint or Face ID) so that nosy people can’t read your private messages. WhatsApp, a popular messaging app, added a new feature on Monday called “Chat Lock” to help users keep their chats safe. “When you lock a chat, that thread moves out of the inbox and into its own folder, which you can only open with your device’s password or a biometric, like a fingerprint.
But the messaging company is now making this feature even more useful by letting users lock and hide individual chats. This means that even if someone gets into your WhatsApp, they won’t be able to see chats that you have locked. So, if you’ve been eagerly waiting for this feature, let’s learn how to use WhatsApp Chat Lock feature on your Android and iPhone.
What is WhatsApp Chat Lock?
Chat Lock is a feature of WhatsApp that lets you lock certain chats. You can use it to lock your more private chats, which can be one-on-one or with a group. This can be helpful if you have to give someone your unlocked phone and don’t want them to see your private WhatsApp messages. Right now, if you want to lock your chats, you have to use your phone’s password/PIN or biometric authentication.
But Meta says that the platform will eventually let you lock your chats with a password that isn’t the same as the password for your device. This feature adds to WhatsApp’s already secure platform, which lets you archive chats, use end-to-end encryption, keep encrypted backups, send messages that disappear, block screenshots, and do other things to protect your privacy.
How to use WhatsApp Chat Lock feature
Lock a WhatsApp Chat With Chat Lock
When you want to lock a WhatsApp conversation, you can do so in the ways shown below. On both Android and iOS, the steps to turn on Chat Lock are the same. As of this writing, the feature is only available on the iPhone, so we only included screenshots for the iPhone.
- Open WhatsApp on your iPhone or Android device.
- Click on the Chats button.
- Tap on the chat you want to lock.
- Tap the name or number at the top of the chat window.
- On the next screen, you’ll see the Chat Lock option.
- Choose Lock Chat.
- Depending on your device, flip the switch next to Lock This Chat with Face ID or Lock This Chat with Fingerprint.
- If you use your face or fingerprint to prove who you are, you’ll see a message that says “This Chat Is Now Locked.”
- If you tap View, you can go straight to the Locked Chats folder and look at it.
Unlock the Locked Chats Folder and Access Your Chats in WhatsApp
To get to your WhatsApp chats in the Locked Chats folder, all you have to do is unlock your device. Here’s what you need to do:
- Go to the first email in your inbox.
- Swipe down and you’ll see a folder called “Locked Chats.”
- Tap on it and use your password or biometrics to prove who you are.
- You can see all of your locked chats here. Tap on one to open it so you can keep talking.
- If you want to lock the chats, leave the Locked Chats folder and WhatsApp will lock them again.
Remove Chat Lock From a Locked WhatsApp Chat
If you want to unlock a locked WhatsApp Chat, you can do so by following these steps:
- Go to the folder called “Locked Chats” and open it.
- Choose the chat you don’t want to lock anymore.
- Tap the name or number at the top of the screen.
- Select Chat Lock on the next screen.
- Turn off the option that says “Lock This Chat with Face ID” or “Lock This Chat with Fingerprint,” depending on what device you’re using, and then sign in.
What Happens When You Lock a WhatsApp Chat Using Chat Lock?
- Increased Privacy: Chat Lock ensures that only authorized users can access the locked chat. Without unlocking it using the designated authentication method, others won’t be able to read the chat messages or see the media shared within that chat.
- Authentication Methods: WhatsApp offers different authentication methods to lock chats, such as Face ID or Fingerprint (biometric authentication) or possibly a passcode or PIN.
- Chat Contents Hidden: Once the chat is locked, the contents of the chat, including text messages, photos, videos, documents, and other media, are hidden and inaccessible to unauthorized users.
- Protection from Prying Eyes: Locking a chat can be helpful when you want to protect sensitive or private conversations from prying eyes, especially if someone else gains access to your unlocked device.
- Selective Locking: WhatsApp allows you to lock specific individual chats, rather than locking the entire app. This means you can choose which chats you want to add an extra layer of protection to.
Is WhatsApp Chat Lock secure?
Since WhatsApp Chat Lock is a new feature, security experts haven’t had much time to test it. It does, however, have some security features that make it safer than leaving your chats open.First, to get into Chat Lock, you have to use your device’s password or biometric authentication. This means that even if someone steals your phone, they won’t be able to get into your locked chats without you knowing. Second, Chat Lock uses end-to-end encryption to protect your locked chats. This means that only you and the person you are chatting with can read the messages, even if WhatsApp or a third party intercepts them.
Third, Chat Lock hides the message from the notification for chats that are locked. This means that if someone sees your phone get a message from a chat that is locked, they won’t be able to see who sent the message or what it says. Overall, WhatsApp Chat Lock is a feature that helps keep your most private chats safe. But you should keep in mind that no security measure is perfect. If you’re worried about the safety of your WhatsApp chats, you might want to use an app that encrypts messages from other sources.
Conclusion
Some WhatsApp users are getting this new feature right now as part of the latest update. It lets you keep certain chats in a separate folder from the rest and only access them with your fingerprint or face ID. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to use WhatsApp Chat Lock. If you don’t have the feature, you might need to make sure you have the most recent version of WhatsApp. Even so, WhatsApp Chat Lock isn’t yet available on all devices or in all places, so you might have to wait a while before you can use it. Additionally, the WhatsApp app can be Download from the Google Play Store and download from the iOS store.
Questions and Answers
Even with the feature enabled, WhatsApp still notifies you when you receive a message on a locked chat. If someone else has access to your device, they won’t be able to see the chats that you’ve locked.
If there is a chat that you want to lock, open it, go to the info section, scroll down, and click the “chat lock” button. Then, you’ll get a message telling you to use your fingerprint to lock the chat. After this, the app will move the chat to the safe folder.
To get to them, you’ll need to choose “Locked chats” and verify with your phone’s password, fingerprint, or face unlock. You will still get notifications from locked chats, but you won’t be able to see who sent the message or what it says.
“When you lock a chat, that thread moves out of your inbox and into its own folder, which you can only open with your device’s password or a biometric, like a fingerprint. It also hides the contents of that chat automatically in notifications.