WhatsApp has a built in feature called Chat Lock that puts any single conversation behind your fingerprint, face, or phone passcode. Open the chat, tap the name at the top, choose Chat Lock, and switch it on. The chat moves into a Locked Chats folder that only opens for you, and if you want it truly invisible, a secret code can hide that folder from the app completely.
How do I lock a chat on WhatsApp?
The steps are nearly identical on Android and iPhone, with small differences in wording.
On Android:
- Open the chat you want to lock.
- Tap the contact or group name at the top of the screen.
- Scroll down and tap Chat lock.
- Turn on Lock this chat with fingerprint and confirm with your fingerprint or screen lock PIN.
There is a faster route. In the Chats tab, press and hold the conversation, tap the three dot menu in the top corner, then tap Lock chat.
On iPhone:
- Open the chat and tap the contact or group name at the top.
- Tap Chat Lock.
- Toggle it on and confirm with Face ID or Touch ID.
The iPhone shortcut: press and hold the chat in your Chats list, then tap Lock Chat in the menu that appears.
Chat Lock works on one to one chats and group chats alike. If the group planning Emma’s surprise party needs to stay out of sight, lock it exactly the same way.
Where do locked chats go after you lock them?
Locked conversations vanish from your main chat list and land in a folder called Locked Chats. To find it, go to the Chats tab and pull down gently. The Locked Chats row appears above your conversations. Tap it, scan your fingerprint or face, and everything inside opens normally.
WhatsApp uses whatever unlock method your phone already has, so there is no new password to invent at this stage. That convenience comes with one catch you should know about: any fingerprint or face registered on your phone can open your locked chats. If James has his thumbprint enrolled on your device because he borrows it for directions, he can open that folder too. Chat Lock protects you from people who pick up your unlocked phone, not from people who share your phone unlock.
How to hide locked chats completely with a secret code
The Locked Chats folder itself is still visible to anyone scrolling through your phone, and a visible locked folder practically begs to be asked about. The secret code fixes that by removing the folder from view entirely.
- Open the Locked Chats folder and unlock it.
- Tap the three dot menu on Android or the settings icon on iPhone, then tap Chat lock settings.
- Tap Secret code and create one. It can be a word, a short phrase, or even emoji.
- Turn on Hide locked chats.
Now the folder is gone. No row at the top of Chats, no hint that it exists. To get back in, type your secret code into the search bar on the Chats tab and the folder reappears. Pick something you would never naturally search for. Typing pizza works until the day you actually search for a pizza place someone recommended, so something odd like bluecabinet is a smarter choice.
How do I lock the whole WhatsApp app instead of one chat?
Chat Lock is surgical. If you would rather bolt the front door, WhatsApp can require your biometrics every time the app opens.
On Android: go to Settings, then Privacy, then App lock, and turn on Unlock with fingerprint. You can make WhatsApp lock immediately, after 1 minute, or after 30 minutes.
On iPhone: go to Settings, then Privacy, then Screen Lock, and turn on Require Face ID or Require Touch ID. Your timing options are immediately, after 1 minute, after 15 minutes, or after 1 hour.
Even with the app locked, calls still ring and you can answer them, and notifications still arrive. If you want notifications to stop showing message text on your lock screen, turn off previews in WhatsApp under Settings, then Notifications. Many people run both layers: app lock for the phone left on a desk, Chat Lock for the one or two conversations that need extra cover.
What actually happens when you lock a WhatsApp chat?
Locking changes more than the chat’s location. Here is the full effect:
- Notifications go quiet about details. Instead of showing “Sophie” and her message, your phone shows a generic new message alert. Nobody glancing at your screen learns who wrote or what they said.
- Media stops auto saving. Photos and videos from a locked chat no longer drop into your gallery or camera roll, so they cannot surface while you are showing someone holiday pictures.
- Calls still come through. Chat Lock covers messages, not the Calls tab. If Sophie rings you on WhatsApp, her name shows on the incoming call like always.
- Linked devices follow the lock. WhatsApp extended Chat Lock to linked devices, so a chat you lock on your phone does not sit exposed in the browser tab on your work laptop. You set a secret code to access locked chats on companion devices.
- Encryption stays the same. Locked chats were already end to end encrypted and remain so. Chat Lock is a privacy screen on your device, not a change to how messages travel.
Chat Lock vs archiving: which one actually hides a chat?
People often archive a chat and assume it is hidden. It is not. Archiving is a tidiness feature: the chat moves to the Archived section, which anyone holding your phone can open with one tap. No fingerprint, no code, no resistance.
Chat Lock is the only native WhatsApp option that puts a conversation behind authentication. Use archive for the group chats you are tired of seeing, and Chat Lock for anything you genuinely do not want opened.
One more distinction matters. Locking a chat hides the conversation, not you. Anyone can still see when you are online or when you last opened WhatsApp unless you change those settings separately, and the walkthrough on hiding your last seen on WhatsApp covers exactly that. Privacy on WhatsApp is a set of switches, and Chat Lock is only one of them.
How do I unlock a chat or turn Chat Lock off?
Removing the lock takes about ten seconds:
- Open the Locked Chats folder and authenticate.
- Open the chat you want to release.
- Tap the contact or group name at the top.
- Tap Chat Lock and toggle it off.
The conversation slides back into your main chat list immediately. If you want to manage everything from one place, go to Settings, then Privacy, then Chat lock. That screen lets you change your secret code and switch the hide option on or off without digging through individual chats.
Before selling or handing down a phone, unlock everything first. It keeps your locked folder from becoming a mystery box on a device you no longer control.
FAQs
Can someone tell that I have locked chats?
Without a secret code, yes: the Locked Chats row is visible when someone pulls down on the Chats tab, they just cannot open it. With the secret code and Hide locked chats turned on, the folder disappears entirely and nothing in the app suggests it exists.
What happens if I forget my secret code?
Your chats are safe. The code only hides the folder, it does not encrypt anything extra. Go to Settings, then Privacy, then Chat lock, confirm with your fingerprint or Face ID, and set a new code or turn off hiding from there.
Does the other person know I locked our chat?
No. Nothing changes on Sophie’s side. Delivery ticks, read receipts, typing indicators, all of it behaves exactly as before. Chat Lock is invisible to everyone but you. The same goes for unsaved numbers: locking a chat with +1 212 555 0164 sends that number no signal at all.
Are locked chats included in my backup?
Yes. Locked chats are part of your normal chat history, so they are included in your backup and stay end to end encrypted in transit. Locking affects what shows on your screen, not what gets stored.
Is Chat Lock enough on its own?
It handles the snooping problem well, but pair it with the rest of WhatsApp’s privacy switches: last seen and online visibility, profile photo privacy, and view once media for photos that should not persist. Locked and invisible beats locked and obvious.
