A new feature called “secret codes” is being rolled out by WhatsApp to provide your locked discussions on the messaging app an extra degree of anonymity. The app introduced encrypted chats earlier this year to assist users in concealing private talks. Now, it’s introducing a feature to secure those chats further and make them more challenging to locate in the event that someone gains access to your phone.
You can now choose to conceal all of your encrypted chats behind a password that is different from the one you use to unlock your phone rather than having them all visible in a folder. You can use emojis, special characters, numbers, and letters in your secret code.
The only way to find the closed chats if you hide the folder from your chatlist is to enter your secret code into the search field. The purpose of the feature is to hide your protected chat folder from prying eyes who may obtain access to your phone.
The new Secret Code function allows WhatsApp users to set custom passwords for locked chats:
The new Secret Code function allows WhatsApp users to set custom passwords for locked chats. It acts as another layer of protection for those sensitive conversations. https://t.co/ADtcehbEJc
— SoyaCincau (@Soya_Cincau) November 30, 2023
Today, the CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, declared on his WhatsApp Channel that they were “rolling out secret code to Chat Lock on WhatsApp so you can protect your chats with a unique password.”
“Now you can set your locked chats to only appear when you type the secret code in the search bar, so no one can ‘unintentionally’ discover your most private conversations.“
It’s important to note that you are not required to use a secret code and that you still have the option to see your locked conversations in your chatlist. Secret codes are being distributed now and will be accessible everywhere in the upcoming months.
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In order to enable users to lock talks and save them in a separate folder that can only be accessed with a device password, face ID, or fingerprint, WhatsApp introduced Chat Lock back in May. At the time, Meta announced that it would let users designate a personalized password for their chats, enabling them to use a password that is distinct from their phone number. Six months later, the business has delivered on its commitment.
The new feature was introduced by WhatsApp a few weeks ago, along with “Voice Chats,” a voice chat capability for large groups that is similar to Discord. The new feature is meant to cause less disruption than ringing all of the group members during a group call. You tap the in-chat bubble to join a voice chat, which begins silently and without any ringing.
