The WhatsApp Chat Lock feature represents an advanced tool for increasing the privacy of some specific conversations on the well-known messaging platform, moving selected threads from the main list to a separate and protected folder. This ensures that, when we activate this option on a specific conversation, be it single or group, the system immediately hides it from the “standard” flow of conversations and inhibits explicit notifications: on the smartphone display, upon receiving a notification from a “locked” chat, only the generic wording “WhatsApp: 1 new message”, concealing both the identity of the sender and, consequently, the content of the message.
To access these protected messages it is necessary to pass a security level identical to that used to unlock the smartphone, i.e. biometric authentication (such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanning) or the traditional unlock code. It is crucial to note that although the chat is locked, audio and video calls from those contacts will continue to arrive regularly and will not be blocked. Furthermore, this function offers the possibility of setting a personalized “Secret Code”, distinct from the phone password, which allows you to completely hide the blocked chats folder, making it invisible to anyone who does not know the specific combination to enter in the search bar.
How to activate the Chat Lock feature on Android
If we use an Android smartphone, the procedure for locking a conversation with the Chat Lock function is very intuitive to perform. To activate or deactivate protection, you need to hold down a long press on the desired chat (whether single or group) and tap the ⋮ button. From the menu, you must then select Activate padlock. The system will immediately check for the presence of an authentication method: if a screen lock (such as fingerprint or PIN) is not set, you will be asked to configure it mandatory. Once protected, the chat disappears from the main list. To find it again, you will need to scroll down the list of conversations until the Chat with padlock item appears. By tapping the latter and performing biometric authentication, you will have access to the messages in the chat protected by the padlock.
As for advanced privacy, it is possible to create a personalized secret code by going to the settings within the blocked chats folder. Once set, this code allows you to completely hide the folder from the chat list. In this case, to view it again, you will need to type the secret code in the WhatsApp search bar. To set the secret code, therefore, you need to go to the Chat with padlock section, and then tap on the items ⋮ > Chat padlock settings. Then, you need to move the Hide chat with padlock option to ON, select Create secret code, type it in the appropriate field, tap Next, confirm it with a second entry and tap Done.
How to activate the Chat Lock feature on iPhone
Moving on to the iPhone side, activation follows a similar logic to what has already been seen on Android. To proceed, you need to go to the WhatsApp Chat screen, make a long tap on the chat you want to hide and select the Activate padlock wording. At this point, you need to press Continue (if necessary) and confirm with OK.
To access protected chats on iPhone, from the WhatsApp Chat screen, you need to scroll down and tap on Chat with lock and then confirm your identity via Face ID or Touch ID. Even on iOS there is the possibility of completely hiding this folder by setting a secret code (different from the iPhone unlock code) via the settings of the folder itself. To proceed, therefore, you need to go to the Chat with padlock section (as explained above), authenticate via Face ID or Touch ID and move the switch for Hide chat with padlock to ON. Then, you need to tap on Create the secret code, type it, press Next, confirm it and tap Done. follow the necessary instructions to set a personalized unlock code. By typing it in the search bar, the entry will appear that allows you to access chats with a padlock which, otherwise, is invisible.
