WhatsApp users can now protect their 'most intimate conversations' with new feature

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A new WhatsApp password feature will allow users to 'lock and hide' their 'most intimate conversations', Meta has said. Chat Lock will give users the ability to stash away any private chats by removing them from the main inbox into a special folder that can only be accessed via a password or biometric security - such as a fingerprint or Face ID.

It's the latest addition in a series of features gradually being introduced to encrypted messaging services. Meta also gives WhatsApp users the option to encrypt their backup data and stop other users from being able to screenshot chats as well as make messages disappear automatically.

Users are able to lock a chat with ease by tapping the name of a chat and pressing on the lock option. Read more: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community Chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post: “New locked chats in WhatsApp make your conversations more private.

They’re hidden in a password protected folder and notifications won’t show sender or message content.” While the new move provides an extra layer of privacy for WhatsApp users, it may strain relations between Meta and the UK government due to the latter's Online Safety Bill.