WhatsApp Now Lets You Lock Chats Behind Passwords Or Biometrics
After playing around with it in beta versions for several months, WhatsApp has finally begun rolling out a new feature called Locked Chats to millions of users around the globe. The feature lets users lock chats with private/sensitive information and move them away from WhatsApp's main chat list. Essentially, these chats are moved to a private folder within WhatsApp, which can only be accessed after proper authentication. In the blog post announcing the Chat Lock feature, Meta — the company behind WhatsApp — confirmed that the feature is still being rolled out to users across the globe.
The importance of this new feature can be gauged from the fact that the WhatsApp Blog has a detailed post centered around the same. In fact, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also made a Facebook post announcing the release of the feature. In addition, Meta has even made a video showcasing the various instances in which the Chat Lock feature may be helpful.
Among the situations described in the video includes the likelihood of close friends or family members accidentally reading a message or a WhatsApp notification with sensitive/personal information. It is also evident that the feature provides users an extra layer of privacy for people worried about someone eavesdropping on their chats. For those wondering, let us also confirm that Chat Lock isn't just restricted to one-on-one chats. Users can also move groups to the secure, protected "Locked Chats" folder. And if you're wondering, the app also prevents notifications from these sensitive chats from appearing on the home screen on the notification bar.
More features coming to Chat Lock soon
In its current form, the Chat Lock feature has a limited feature set that should get the job done for most people. However, Meta has made it clear that they plan to introduce new features and options in the future. A major issue with the system in its current form is that the password for unlocking locked chats is the same as the smartphone password. This opens up the possibility of friends or family members reading these chats anyway since they may be aware of your password.
Meta is working on a solution and has confirmed that users will soon be able to set custom passwords for WhatsApp Chat Lock. In addition to this issue, WhatsApp also plans to bring the ability to lock individual chats on companion devices. Interestingly, while WhatsApp hasn't listed the steps to enable this feature, from the embedded video, it seems as though the Chat Lock feature would appear as an option within the "View contact" section of individual chats. In the case of groups, the option should appear within the "Group Info" section. Note that there is no separate toggle within WhatsApp Settings to enable the feature. Additionally, if you are using the same WhatsApp number on multiple phones, the lock chat feature needs to be enabled on each of those devices separately,
It is unclear at this time how long it would take for Meta to complete the rollout of Chat Lock to all of WhatsApp's 2 billion-plus users.