The new locking function is named Chat Lock, and it primarily features as a safe folder housed inside Whatsapp. When a consumer locks a thread with Chat Lock, that thread is taken out of the inbox and put inside a safe folder that’s protected with a password and/or biometric signature, stopping anybody with out the correct credentials from seeing threads housed inside this folder. Locking threads additionally hides the message contents and the sender’s identification when a notification is obtained.
This function will likely be very helpful for the billions (sure billions) of customers WhatsApp has proper now, and the many individuals who use the platform for work or private use. Whatsapp at present has 2 billion lively customers and is wildly standard in different nations, together with Europe, Africa, and South America. The overwhelming majority of customers abroad use WhatsApp as a full alternative for SMS texting, as a consequence of its safe end-to-end encryption capabilities. It’s nonetheless not as standard as SMS texting within the United States, however there’s nonetheless a big portion of the inhabitants that makes use of it for a similar motive. Poor safety with SMS texting is likely one of the greatest causes for WhatsApp’s reputation (aswell as competing apps like Telegram and Signal), and it’ll in all probability proceed to achieve traction because of Meta’s fixed function updates to the platform, together with options like Chat Lock.
Chat Lock is rolling out to WhatsApp customers at this very second, so this function ought to already be out there to most WhatsApp customers which have up to date their units. If you do not have this function, be sure that the app is up-to-date within the Google Play Store. Meta says that is the primary implementation of Chat Lock and it will likely be receiving new capabilities within the upcoming months, together with customized passwords for particular person threads and chat locking for companion units.