WhatsApp is rolling out a new update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.23.8.2.
What’s new in this update? WhatsApp is working on a feature that allows users to lock chats and keep them hidden, available in a future update of the app!
| Common questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature? | Lock chat |
| Status? | Under development |
| Availability? | WhatsApp is working on bringing the ability to lock chats to a future update. |
| I’ve installed this update but I don’t have this feature. Why? | This feature is under development so it is not ready to be released to beta testers, but you can discover a preview in this article. |
| How to join the community on WhatsApp? | WABetaInfo Community |
| Previous news? | WhatsApp is releasing a feature to disable multiple answers within polls on Windows! |
LOCK CHATS
After announcing new privacy features for group chats and the ability to send audio messages that can only be playable once, we discovered another privacy feature under development. Thanks to the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.8.2 update available on the Google Play Store, we discovered that WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will allow users to lock specific chats using their fingerprint or passcode, available in a future update of the app. We’re sure that users can have an extra layer of security by using this feature, keeping their sensitive conversations safe from prying eyes. As always, we are happy to offer you a sneak peek of the feature, allowing you to learn how it works before it’s released to beta testers:
As you can see in this screenshot, WhatsApp is developing a feature that will enhance user privacy. In particular, it will be possible to lock your most private chats right within the chat’s contact or group info. After adding a chat to the list of your locked chats, it will be only available within this screen and, once a chat is locked, it can only be accessed using the user’s fingerprint or passcode, making it nearly impossible for anyone else to open the chat. To protect your privacy, a locked chat cannot be opened without a fingerprint or passcode. In addition, if someone tries to access your phone and fails to provide the necessary authentication, they will be prompted to clear the chat to open it.
In our opinion, this feature offers an additional layer of privacy for sensitive chats, as it allows users to protect their privacy by preventing others from reading their messages. This feature also helps keep media private: it ensures that media files such as photos and videos sent in a locked chat are not automatically saved to the device’s gallery.
The ability to lock chats is a feature under development and it will be released in a future update of the app. In case there will be further details to share with you, we plan to publish an additional article on this website.
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