Meta-owned global messaging service WhatsApp has introduced a new feature that will enable hiding of chats by users.
Worried about your chats being read by an unauthorized person or a person you share the same phone with?
Well, the new secret code feature, an installment added to the ‘Chat Lock’ feature, will help protect selected chats and make them harder to find.
Notably, the global messaging giant announced the feature through its official Channels’ page on November 30, 2023.
Secret Code Feature
“Secret code starts rolling out today, and in the coming months will be available globally,” announced WhatsApp.
Additionally, the company revealed that it was committed to bringing more functions to Chat Lock to help people protect their privacy.
According to the cross-platform service, the secret code will enable users to set a unique password different from the one used to unlock their phones.
The secret password set by a user will in turn add an extra layer of privacy to the locked chats.
Also Read: WhatsApp Launches New Chat Feature for Photos & Videos
In addition, a user will have to choose between hiding the locked chats completely or leaving them to appear on one’s chat list.
For the first option, WhatsApp noted, “Locked Chats folder can be hidden from your chat list so that they can only be discovered by typing your secret code in the search bar.”
On the other hand, a user can also still choose to have the locked chats appear in their chat list.
How to lock a chat on WhatsApp
To lock a new chat, a user will be required to you long press the selected chat rather than visiting the chat’s settings.
The announcement comes months after the messaging service introduced the Chat lock feature.
Nevertheless, the feature was part of WhatsApp’s commitment to help users keep their messages private and secure.
“The Chat Lock lets you protect your most intimate conversations behind one more layer of security,” announced WhatsApp in May.
Notably, the feature enables one to take out a locked chat away from the normal inbox and chat thread.
By doing so, the locked chat is taken behind its own folder that can only be accessed with the device’s password or biometric.
Also Read: WhatsApp Users to Soon Start Paying for Storage
Additionally, it automatically hides the contents of that chat in notifications, too.
At the time, the messaging service noted that one could lock a chat by tapping the name of a one-to-one or group and selecting the lock option.
WhatsApp added, “To reveal these chats, slowly pull down on your inbox and enter your phone password or biometric.”
The company, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014, believes the feature will be great for people who share their phones.
In addition, WhatsApp noted, “It will also be great in those moments where someone else is holding your phone at the exact moment an extra special chat arrives.”
