WhatsApp is introducing a new Secret Code feature to enhance the security of locked chats. Chat Lock, a feature announced in May this year, allows you to lock certain chats behind a biometric/password-protected lock. Building on the previously announced Chat Lock feature, users can now conceal their locked chats behind a secret code. This added layer of protection ensures that sensitive conversations with other users remain hidden when sharing your phone with a friend or colleague, or even if your device falls into the wrong hands.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, announced the rollout of the Secret Code for Chat Lock feature on Thursday. This feature allows users to select a specific chat and lock it behind a password or phrase. Chats protected by a secret code will not be visible in the main chat list and can only be accessed by entering the designated secret code, bolstering the security of the messaging platform. Additionally, users can choose to hide the existence of the entire conversation and only entering the secret code (which could contain letters, numbers, special characters or even emojis) into the app’s search bar will make the chat visible.
WhatsApp is rolling out the features starting today, and we expect it to be available globally in the next few months. To activate the feature, users need to navigate to the list of locked chats, tap the three-dot menu at the top, access Chat lock settings, toggle Hide locked chats, and input a secret code of their choosing. Following this, locked chats will no longer appear in the main chat window.
WhatsApp notes that locking a chat can be done effortlessly by long-pressing a chat, eliminating the need to enter individual chat settings. For those of us who tend to have WhatsApp open all the time in a Chrome browser, there is no information on whether WhatsApp plans to introduce the Secret Code feature to WhatsApp for Desktop.
