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WhatsApp is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. At times, you may want to keep some chats secret from them. Whether you are planning a surprise, in touch with your ex, or some professional chats with sensitive data – you can lock those conversations using a secret code. That prevents anyone from stumbling upon those privates inadvertently. Here’s how to use Chat Lock feature on WhatsApp. This feature is limited to WhatsApp on Android and iPhone.
How to Lock Chats on WhatsApp
Like the mechanism to secure apps on your Android or iPhone, WhatsApp lets you lock chats. Those chats will be hidden from the WhatsApp page after you lock them. Also, when you receive messages from those locked chats, notifications conceal the contact name and message content. Follow the steps below to lock chats on your Android or iPhone.
On Android
- Open WhatsApp and long-press on any chat or group you want to lock.
- Tap the three vertical dots in the top-right corner and then select the Lock chat option.
- Authenticate with the fingerprint or face recognition to lock the selected chat.
On iPhone
- Open WhatsApp and long-press on any chat or group you want to lock.
- Tap on the Lock chat option from the menu.
- Authenticate with the Face ID or Touch ID to lock the chat.
If you don’t have any biometrics for security on your phone, you will get a pop-up asking you to set up fingerprint or Face ID (on iPhone) before you can enable the lock.
Access Locked Chats on WhatsApp
The locked chats will appear in the Locked chats folder at the top of all your conversations. To access the Locked chats, tap on it and authenticate your access with the chosen biometrics.
Note that locked chats appear when you search for the conversations on WhatsApp. But don’t worry, you can open these chats only after authenticating with fingerprint or Face ID.
You Can Hide the Locked Chats Folder Entirely
While the Locked Chats folder stays on top of the conversations, it can make anyone curious. To avoid making it obvious that you are hiding chats, you can hide the Locked Chats folder from appearing at the top. After that, only you access them with a secret code. Here’s how to use secret code to hide the Locked Chats folder.
Open the Locked chats folder and tap on Settings in the top-right corner. (On Android, tap on three-dots > Chat lock settings).
On the chat settings page, enable the toggle beside the Hide locked chats and then tap on the Create Secret Code button. Enter a secret code with a minimum of 4 letters which may include alphabets, numbers, symbols, or even emojis. Finally, re-enter the code to confirm it.
You may find it odd that you don’t need to enter the Secret Code when you hit Turn off from the Change Secret Code screen to remove the secret code entirely.
Access Locked Chats Folder on WhatsApp
If you want to access the folder, tap the Search icon in the top-right corner and enter the Secret code. You will get the Locked Chats option in the search results. Note that the lock icon next to it shows unlocked – because you entered the Secret code. Tap on Locked Chats folder to open the conversations and you don’t even need to use any biometrics.
Unlock or Remove Chats From Locked Chats Folder
When you feel a Locked chat doesn’t need to be concealed, you can unlock or remove it from the Locked Chats folder. After that, that chat will appear among the other visible conversations. Here’s what you need d
On Android
- To unlock or remove any chat from the Locked Chats folder, open the folder and long-press on the chat that you want to unlock.
- Tap on the three vertical dots menu in the top bar and then select the Unlock chat option.
- Authenticate with biometrics to unlock the chat.
- After that, the particular chat/conversation will be visible along with the others and not appear in the Locked Chats folder.
On iPhone
- To unlock any chat from the Locked Chats folder, open the folder and long-press on any chat that you want to unlock.
- Tap on the Unlock chat option from the menu.
- Authenticate with biometrics to unlock the chat immediately.
- After that, the particular chat/conversation will be visible along with the others and not appear in the Locked Chats folder.
Locking Chats Works Only on Phones, Mostly
WhatsApp’s Chat Lock feature using a secret code works mostly on Android and iPhone. While using WhatsApp accounts on the desktop, web, or any linked device, those locked chats are visible without the authentication or secret code. That means, no Locked Chats folder will appear there.
Of course, you may remove linked devices that others can easily access and prevent people from viewing those locked chats. Also, you can use a screen lock for WhatsApp so no one can link your WhatsApp account to another device and view your secret chats.
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