Today we depend on the use of WhatsApp to be able to stay in touch with our families. That is when the requirement of keeping our conversation confidential has emerged. Fortunately, Meta has come up with a new feature, WhatsApp chat lock.
It is particularly useful where some of the conversations that are conducted in the chat should not be seen by some of the users.
In this article, I am going to write several ways to lock chats on WhatsApp. Therefore, to protect the content of your messages, read the information below.
A Guide to Locking Chats on WhatsApp
If you have any private chat, it can be secured from the outside world by activating the chat lock in your WhatsApp.
Scroll down if you’re interested in how to lock chat on WhatsApp:
- Launch the WhatsApp from your smartphone then locate the conversation that you wish to protect.
- Now, press and hold the Chat until you have a menu available to you.
- Tap on the three-dots icon then on Lock chat.
- This will bring a pop-up, select Continue on the pop-up that appears on your screen.
- To allow the lock and unlock by authentication, ensure your face or fingerprint.
That’s it, now the chat will be locked and you will need to put a fingerprint on or even need a face ID to open the contents of the chats.
How to set up a secret code for use in locked chats
Use these instructions to set up a secret code for restricted chats:
- Open the WhatsApp app then go to the chat which has been locked.
- To unlock the chat, you can use your fingerprint on an iPhone or your face on an iPhone X.
- From the top right corner swipe down on the screen three-dots icon then tap on Chat lock settings.
- Click on the Secret code then type in the new Secret code to be displayed in the space provided for it.
- Do remember to use at least one word/emoji.
- Tap on Next.
- Repeat the code once again, then type in the code again to verify, then simply click on the Done tab.
Next, it will be necessary to turn on the secret code for higher protection.
How You Lock a WhatsApp Group Chat
As you remember, there are two ways to lock a chat in an application; so, locking a WhatsApp group chat is as easy as A.B.C.
To do this, it is very easy all you need to do is to go through the upper heading provided above and follow the step-by-step guide on how to lock chats on WhatsApp.
How to Unlock the Chat
Follow the straightforward steps given below to view your locked chats:
- Open the WhatsApp app, and then, touch on the Locked chats.
- You can use the fingerprint or face to unlock the film.
- If you have restricted the chat folder is locked and you need to put in the secret passcode and then unlock it.
- Unlock them and then, tapping on any chat, you can see the content of the conversation.
What happens when you lock a WhatsApp chat using Chat Lock?
When you apply a chat lock on WhatsApp using the lock chat features, then the following effects occur, The chat of the locked contact will not be visible on the main chat window screen. It is possible to say that it will go directly to the locked chat folder.
This folder will contain all your locked chats and to access its content you will have to unlock it with a PIN or fingerprint scan and/or face ID.
Also, you are going to lose the ability to view the content of an incoming message if the contact is locked. Once again, you can only see the content of new messages when you unlock the chat.
The following are the drawbacks of WhatsApp chat lock:
While the WhatsApp chat lock feature is a helpful tool to add an extra layer of protection to your chats, it also comes with some limitations you must be aware of:
- If you are using WhatsApp on more than one device. Works on the device on which it is set first.
- The chat lock feature is only available for group and individual chats. This means that you can not lock your status updates and broadcast lists.
- Locked chat media content will not be stored in your device gallery automatically, To save media files in your gallery, you will need to first unlock the chat.
- Chat lock just hides messages, calls will be visible even if they are in a locked chat.
How to Unlock WhatsApp Chat When Chat Lock Is Not Visible
In some of the devices, the WhatsApp chat lock may not be seen as it started being implemented recently. However, if the feature is officially available in your region and still won’t show up on your device then try out these given workarounds:
- First, open your WhatsApp app menus and go to the store on Google Play to download the latest versions of the application.
- You need to do is switch off your phone and then turn it back on as this helps to fix some minor problems.
- In the device settings app, the option to clear the WhatsApp cache and data should help to fix the possible bugs.
- Try to uninstall the application and then reinstall it, to check if the problem will be solved.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Q1. Which WhatsApp Version Is Chat Locked?
Ans. The WhatsApp chat lock feature is present in all gadgets running on the Android or iOS operating system and having the most recent version of the WhatsApp application. To use the feature described above, you should have the new version of this application available.
Q2. Why I Am Unable to Lock WhatsApp Chats:
Ans. If you are having trouble using the chat lock feature on your WhatsApp there might be a few potential reasons that could be causing the issue including:
- Unfortunately, the chat lock feature is at the moment not officially available in your region.
- This is because you are on the WhatsApp business app, not the normal WhatsApp that we always use daily.
- From the settings, I see that you have not downloaded the latest version of WhatsApp.
Q3. Can I receive notifications from chats which have been locked in WhatsApp?
Ans. However, do not worry because you will still get a notification on WhatsApp with the chats that have been locked.
But it will only notify you that you have received a new message; you shall not see the name of the sender or the content of the message.
Ensure your privacy on WhatsApp by locking your particular chat to prevent other people from accessing it. You could however share your feedback to this post in the comments section below this post. Please do not forget to check our page for other rich posts.
