WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, allowing users to communicate with ease. However, it is essential to protect the confidentiality of your conversations to prevent malicious people from accessing it. In this article, we will introduce you how to lock and hide your WhatsApp chats from prying eyes.
Lock access to your WhatsApp application
To increase the security of your conversations on WhatsApp, it is recommended to lock the application with a password, PIN or a fingerprint. This extra step will allow you to prevent someone from viewing your messages simply by having access to your phone.
Use the native features of your smartphone
Some smartphones offer built-in security options to lock individual apps. On Android devices, for example, you can use the App Lock feature, available in security settings. iPhone users can count on the Guided Access option, which can be activated in the accessibility settings.
Use third-party apps to protect WhatsApp
If your smartphone does not offer features to lock apps directly, you can resort to third-party solutions. Applications such as AppLock (Android) or Norton App Lock (iOS and Android) will allow you to secure access to whatsapp by requiring a password, fingerprint or pattern to unlock the app.
Hide your sensitive chats on WhatsApp
Apart from locking the app, it can be a good idea to hide chats containing sensitive information to make them invisible to prying eyes. Here are some tips to achieve this:
Archive your conversations
One of the options offered by WhatsApp to hide your chats is archiving. This feature allows you to put a conversation in a separate folder, making it less visible in your chat list. To archive a chat, long-press on it, then select the archive icon that appears at the top of the screen. You can view your archived conversations by scrolling to the bottom of your chat list and selecting “Archived”.
- Note that this method does not completely hide conversations, as they will reappear in your chat list if new messages are received.
- You can also unarchive a conversation by following the same steps and choosing the “Unarchive” option.
Mute notifications for sensitive chats
To avoid drawing attention to a particular conversation, you can choose to temporarily or permanently disable notifications for it. To do this, long-press the chat, then select the crossed-out speaker icon that appears at the top of the screen. You can then choose how long you want to turn off notifications for this conversation.
Regularly delete your old conversations
Another way to protect the privacy of your WhatsApp chats is to regularly delete conversations that you no longer feel necessary. This can be particularly useful if your phone falls into the wrong hands and you want to prevent sensitive information from being accessed. To delete a conversation, long-press on it, then choose the trash can icon that appears at the top of the screen.
Protect your chat backups
Finally, it is important to secure your backups of WhatsApp conversations as well. If you use an online storage service such as Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iPhone) to keep your chat histories, be sure to use a strong password for these services and enable authentication at two factors.
By following these tips, you can strengthen the security of your WhatsApp conversations and thus preserve your privacy from prying eyes.
