Gadgetren – WhatsApp has released a new feature called Chat lock where users can lock their secret conversations so that other people holding their phones can’t peek at them.
WhatsApp will make this Chat Lock feature available in the global market first and then expand to other regions including Indonesia. In the future, WhatsApp will also add some additional options to the Chat Lock feature, such as the ability to lock companion devices and create custom passwords for chats.
Later, the Chat Lock feature will be present in the WhatsApp contact profile, which can be searched through the message box or the search column. The Chat Lock feature is located under the Disappearing Messages menu in a contact’s profile under the Chat Lock heading.
Tapping the Chat Lock menu once will take the user to the Chat Lock settings page using the fingerprint scanner or other options in the form of a password. To enable Fingerprint Chat Lock, users need to slide the button to the right in the “Lock this chat with fingerprint” menu until it turns green.
Then the user has to put a fingerprint on the screen to confirm the fingerprint as Chat Lock. WhatsApp will then display information stating that the chat on the selected contact number has been successfully locked and will be redirected to a special folder that only users can see by pasting their fingerprints again.
Even though the WhatsApp app is open and visible to others, interestingly, the contents of the new incoming chat will not be displayed. Likewise, other people won’t be able to open the locked folder, so secret conversations are protected and more private.
Meanwhile, chat threads that have been kept private will no longer appear and will be automatically deleted by WhatsApp in the inbox.
On its official website WhatsApp reveals that it believes this feature will be very useful for those who sometimes need to share their mobile phones with family or other people on many occasions and when secret conversations come in, they can feel more secure and maintain their privacy.
