Sometimes all you need is privacy. Maybe you just don’t want someone stumbling across a certain WhatsApp chat. Not because you’re doing anything wrong; it could also just be something really personal you would only tell your best friend, maybe some delicate details about work with a colleague.
It doesn’t really matter why you would want to protect a conversation. We all have the right to our privacy.
WhatsApp is very aware of this, but they also know there may be curious people around you… That’s why they have been giving us ways to protect our conversations for a while now.
You can archive chats, or you can mute them. The problem is they still show up, and if someone’s being nosy and scrolling through your messages, they would find them. But here’s the thing almost nobody knows: WhatsApp actually lets you hide chats completely. Like vanished from earth. No folder will appear, nor lock icons.
This amazing trick is called Chat Lock, and when you turn on the option for a secret code, it’s privacy at 100%. You set up a custom code (a word, phrase, emoji combo, whatever you want), and once you hide a chat, it won’t show up unless you type that code into the search bar.
So if someone opens your WhatsApp, there’s zero sign that chat ever existed. Unless you have given them the code somehow.
Here’s how you can hide you private chats:
- Open the chat you want to hide.
- Tap the name at the top. Scroll. Find Chat Lock.
- Lock it using face ID, fingerprint, or your phone’s passcode.
- Then go into your privacy settings and turn on “Hide locked chats.”
- Create your secret code. Something you’ll remember but others won’t guess.
- Done. Hidden. Safe.
If you want to go to the chat you hid, all you have to do is to type your code in the search bar. And the chat will appear immediately like it was always there (well, it actually was).
The best part about this feature is that besides locking the chat, there’s actually no record of it’s existance. You get real conversation control. No restricted access messages, no weird alerts. Just you and your secret chats.
You can find all the information on WhatsApp Help Center. And if you care about this stuff (and you should), there are a few other settings worth turning on:
- Two-step verification adds an extra PIN when you set up WhatsApp on a new phone.
- Screen lock makes sure only your face ID or fingerprint can open the app.
- Disappearing messages auto-delete messages after a time you choose — helpful for sensitive convos.
- And screenshot protection blocks screenshots of view-once media (you know the kind).
- All of this sits on top of WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, which, by default, keeps your messages private — even from Meta.
Why did WhatsApp create this, and why is it so important?
Privacy is a very important matter. Many people will think, “Great, now I’ll find out if my partner is cheating.” But this is so much more than that. People who are involved in toxic, abusive, and even physically dangerous relationships might need to ask for help in total privacy. People who work at jobs where information cannot be shared. People with personal subjects that, if let out, could damage someone’s reputation badly. And the list goes on.
It’s not just “privacy settings.” It’s actual data protection that works quietly in the background. If you’re someone who likes their space, or you just want a little extra control over what shows up when someone grabs your phone, these features are for you.