If you ever send and receive messages that you don’t want anyone else to see then the latest upgrade from WhatsApp will definitely help. The Meta-owned platform has just announced the launch of an upgrade called Chat Lock which keeps things hidden from view and only accessible via additional security such as Apple’s Face ID, 4-digit pin code or the phone’s fingerprint scanner.
Once you assign a chat to the locked folder, messages can only be seen after you have verified yourself – that should mean nobody else gets to read them without you knowing. Chats are even hidden from notifications so they won’t pop up on the screen when you are not expecting it.
“Today, we’re excited to bring to you a new feature we’re calling Chat Lock, which lets you protect your most intimate conversations behind one more layer of security,” WhatsApp announced in a blog post.
“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. 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.”
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WhatsApp says that the Chat Lock upgrade will begin rolling out in the coming weeks so you should find it on your iPhone or Android device soon. There’s no specific launch timeline so just keep checking and it will hopefully appear soon.
It’s also been confirmed that this feature will get improvements over time with WhatsApp boasting that upgrades will be added including locking for companion devices and creating a custom password for your chats so that you can use a unique password different from the one you use for your phone.
“Our passion is to find new ways to help keep your messages private and secure,” WhatsApp added. “Chat Lock lets you protect your most intimate conversations behind one more layer of security.”