WhatsApp launches feature to lock chats, here's how you can do it

Enabling an additional layer of security for intimate conversations, WhatsApp on Monday announced the introduction of a new "Chat Lock" feature. As the name suggests, the feature facilitates locking a chat, which takes that thread out of the inbox and puts it behind its own folder that can only be accessed with a device password or biometric, like a fingerprint.

The app will automatically conceal the chat's contents in notifications after you lock a chat. By pressing a one-to-one or group chat's name and choosing the lock option, you can lock that chat. You would need to slide down on your inbox to access these chats and enter your phone's password or biometric authentication.

"We think this feature will be great for people who have reasons to share their phones from time to time with a family member or those moments where someone else is holding your phone at the exact moment an extra special chat arrives," the company wrote in a blog post.

The tech giant claims it hopes to introduce more Chat Lock features, such as locking companion devices and allowing you to create a special password for your chats that is different from the one you use for your phone. Despite the fact that WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption, this is ineffective if someone has unlocked access to your phone and can view your messages. In these situations, the new functionality adds an additional layer of security.

New updates in poll features

Earlier, this month, tech giant Meta released two new WhatsApp updates to make chats "more fun and productive." Meta announced in a press release that its instant messaging network will update the feature of surveys and enable users to forward media with captions. It also said that polling options had been rolled out.

Three new polling options were added by the company: Single-Vote Poll Creation, Chat Search for Polls, and Stay Updated on Poll Results. To enable users to cast a single vote, the company has given poll creators the 'Create Single-Vote Polls' option.