To prevent curious people from looking at your personal messages, WhatsApp already allows you to lock the app with a passcode or biometric data (fingerprint or Face ID). However, the messaging company is now expanding this feature to allow users to ban individual chats and hide them from the public. This means that even if someone manages to break into your WhatsApp, they cannot see blocked chats. However, if you have been longingly waiting for this feature, then learn how to block and hide WhatsApp chats on your Android and iOS phones.
Note: Before we proceed, it is important to note that the “Chat Lock” feature in WhatsApp is only available in beta at the time of writing this article. It will be rolled out to all Android and iOS users in the coming weeks.
How to block WhatsApp chats on Android and iOS
For this tutorial, we tested this feature on WhatsApp for Android (beta version #2.23.9.22). Download the latest Android beta update from Play Store or APKMirror (visit) to try this feature for yourself. The steps will probably be the same on iPhone, so let’s see how to enable “chat lock” feature on WhatsApp:
Open the conversation of the contact you want to block on WhatsApp and tap their name. Then scroll down and tap on the new “Chat Lock” option. At this point we would like to point out that archived chats cannot be blocked. If you want to lock an archived WhatsApp chat, you need to dearchive the conversation first. On the warning message, tap “Unarchive” if this is the case, otherwise continue to the next step. After archiving, turn on the “Fingerprint lock this chat” toggle on Android. You’ll see a similar Face ID-centric toggle on iOS. WhatsApp will now alert you that your conversation will not be blocked on linked devices. So be careful when using the same WhatsApp on two phones. Tap OK and confirm your fingerprint or Face ID to lock the chat. And that’s it! You now know how to block a single WhatsApp chat without an app and the app will confirm it with a pop-up message.
Also, in locked chats, you’ll still see a notification for new messages, but those messages will be hidden in the notification area. This chat is also hidden, as we explain below.
How to access blocked chats on WhatsApp
Once you block a conversation, WhatsApp hides it from the “Chats” tab in the messaging app. These conversations are now accessible in a hidden Blocked Chats section, which we are going to teach you how to access here. So let’s look at the steps:
Open WhatsApp and swipe down on the chat feed to see the Blocked Chats section. Now tap on the “Blocked Chats” option and use your fingerprint to unlock those hidden conversations. The Blocked Chats section in WhatsApp will be automatically locked once you return to the main chat screen.
Watch this short video demo to better understand how to access the blocked conversations on WhatsApp:
How to disable “chat lock” for WhatsApp chats
If you no longer want to block and hide conversations in WhatsApp, it’s easy. Just follow the steps below:
First, open the chat and tap on the contact’s name. Scroll down and access the Chat Blocking feature. From here, tap on the “Fingerprint lock this chat” option and enter your fingerprint to turn off the feature.
frequently asked Questions
Can we ban a single chat in WhatsApp?
Yes, it is now possible to ban a single conversation in WhatsApp. The messaging app is currently testing a “chat lock” feature in beta and will soon begin rolling out the feature to all Android and iOS users. Then you can lock a single chat and hide it from nosy people.
How can I lock my WhatsApp chat without archive?
You no longer need to archive chats to hide them from the chat feed on WhatsApp. Messaging introduces a new “Chat Lock” feature to hide individual chats on your Android phone and iPhone. And you need to unarchive chats in order to use this feature as these conversations are kept under a hidden Blocked Chats section.
