WhatsApp users in Singapore can now take advantage of a new feature that allows them to lock their chats, providing an additional layer of privacy and security to their conversations.
The announcement of the Chat Lock feature was made on WhatsApp’s official blog on May 15, and Meta’s founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, also shared the news on Facebook. While WhatsApp already offers end-to-end encryption for messages, this new feature aims to address the concern of unauthorized access to chats if someone else gains access to the user’s unlocked phone.
According to WhatsApp, the Chat Lock feature is particularly useful for individuals who share their phones with family members or find themselves in situations where someone else may handle their device when an important or sensitive chat arrives.
Enabling the Chat Lock is simple, as users can tap on the name of the chat and select the lock option from the menu.
Once a chat is locked, it will be concealed in a “password-protected folder,” accessible only by pulling down the inbox and entering the device’s password or using a biometric authentication method like fingerprint recognition.
In addition to providing enhanced security, locked chats will also hide notifications, ensuring that the sender’s name and message content remain confidential.
WhatsApp has plans to further enhance the Chat Lock feature in the coming months. This includes extending the locking capability to companion devices and allowing users to create custom passwords for individual chats, ensuring a unique password for each device.
