If You Lock a Chat on WhatsApp, Will They Know?
If you lock a chat on WhatsApp, will they know? No. WhatsApp says that when you lock a chat, the other people in the chat aren't notified. Locking only changes how the chat appears on your side: it moves into a Locked chats folder behind your phone passcode, Face ID, fingerprint or a secret code.
You might want one conversation out of sight on a phone other people pick up. This guide covers what changes for you, what notifications show, how to lock and unlock a chat on Android, iPhone and Web, and what the secret code does.
What locking a chat does
A locked chat leaves your main chat list and goes into a folder that needs extra authentication to open. WhatsApp's help center describes it as a folder behind "your phone passcode, Face ID, fingerprint, or a secret code".
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is the other person told? | No, WhatsApp says the other people in the chat aren't notified |
| Which chats can you lock? | Any chat, including group chats and muted chats |
| Does the chat close by itself? | Yes, locked chats are closed when you lock your device |
| Do calls from that contact still ring? | Yes, calls from contacts in locked chats aren't blocked |
| Does it survive a backup and restore? | Yes, locked chats stay locked on a new phone, and you need device authentication set up to open them |
If you haven't set up device authentication, like Face ID or a phone passcode, WhatsApp asks you to create it before you can lock chats. In some languages the feature appears as Chat block rather than Chat lock.
What the other person can still see
WhatsApp says they aren't notified, and its help page describes no change on their side. They can keep sending messages, and you receive them as normal. The difference is that the messages land in the Locked chats folder instead of your main list.
Because the lock is a private view, it also isn't a block or a mute. If you want fewer notifications from someone, see what muting someone on WhatsApp does. If you only want a chat out of the main list without extra authentication, the closest feature is archiving, which we cover in archive WhatsApp chat: will they know.
What notifications show for a locked chat
Notifications for locked chats hide both the contact name and the message. Instead of the contact name, WhatsApp shows "WhatsApp" or "WhatsApp: 1 new message".
That has a useful side effect. If your notifications suddenly say "WhatsApp" instead of a name, WhatsApp's help center says it means the chat is locked. To see the contact name again, tap and hold the chat and select Unlock chat. WhatsApp's 2023 launch post made the same point: locking automatically hides the contents of that chat in notifications.
How to lock a chat
| App | Steps |
|---|---|
| Android | Tap and hold the chat, then More options (three vertical dots) > Lock chat |
| iPhone | Tap and hold the chat, then Lock chat |
| WhatsApp Web | Right click the chat, then click Lock chat |
Confirm with your fingerprint, face or passcode if asked. On Web, you're asked to create a secret code on your primary phone first if you haven't set one.
To open your locked chats later on the phone, swipe down on your chat list and tap Locked chats, then unlock with your device authentication or tap Use secret code.
How to unlock a locked chat on WhatsApp
Unlocking uses the same menu as locking, with the label switched to Unlock chat.
- Swipe down on your chat list and tap Locked chats. If you've hidden the folder, tap the search bar and enter your secret code first.
- Authenticate with your face, fingerprint, passcode or secret code.
- Tap and hold the chat. On Android, tap More options > Unlock chat. On iPhone, tap Unlock chat. On Web, right click the chat and click Unlock chat.
The chat goes back to your main chat list, and its notifications show the contact name again. WhatsApp's page describes no notice to the other person for unlocking either.
The secret code and hidden folder
You can protect locked chats with a code that's separate from your phone passcode, and you can hide the folder entirely.
- Swipe down on your chat list and tap Locked chats.
- On Android, tap More options (three vertical dots) > Chat lock settings > Secret code. On iPhone, tap Settings > Secret code.
- Enter your code, tap Next, enter it again and tap Done.
To hide the folder, go to the same settings (Chat lock settings on Android, Settings on iPhone) and turn on Hide locked chats. The folder then only appears when you type your secret code into the search bar. To turn the code off later, open Locked chats, go back to Secret code and tap Turn off > Continue.
If you forget the code, WhatsApp lets you recover hidden chats by unlocking and clearing them. Go to Settings > Privacy > Chat lock > Unlock and clear locked chats > Unlock and clear (on Android, Settings is under More options). Your secret code is cleared and the chats return to your chat list, but every message, photo and video in them is cleared too. You can restore cleared chats only if your latest backup was made before you cleared them, and only messages and media sent before that backup.
Locked chats on Web and iPad
Locked chats open on WhatsApp Web only if you've created a secret code on your Android phone or iPhone, and on iPad the same applies with a code on your primary phone. WhatsApp also says that to hide or unhide locked chats from Web you must change the setting on the phone, and unlocking and clearing is done from the phone too. For how linked devices work in general, see how to know if your WhatsApp is linked to another device.
The help center doesn't say how a lock behaves after a reinstall with no backup. If a locked chat has vanished from your list, check the Locked chats folder first, and then read why WhatsApp chats disappear.
Where Tenashi fits
On a business number, Chat lock raises a team question. When several people share one phone, a customer chat that one person locks sits behind their passcode or secret code, and the others who pick up the handset may not know it's there.
Tenashi connects your own WhatsApp number as a linked device and puts its DMs and groups in one shared inbox, where you assign a chat to an agent and leave internal notes the customer never sees, so the team's work doesn't depend on whoever is holding the phone. Chat lock stays a setting on the phone: Tenashi doesn't lock or unlock chats. That covers chats on your own connected number, from the day you connect it. More on running a team on one number in our guide to WhatsApp for business.
Plans start at $18/mo. Get started.
FAQ
If I lock a chat on WhatsApp, will the other person know?
No. WhatsApp's help center says that when you lock a chat, the other people in the chat aren't notified. The lock only changes how the chat appears on your side. It sits in the Locked chats folder behind your passcode, biometric or secret code.
Will I still get notifications from a locked chat?
Yes, but they hide the details. Instead of the contact name, the notification says "WhatsApp" or "WhatsApp: 1 new message". Calls from contacts in locked chats also still come through, because locking doesn't block them.
How do I unlock a locked chat on WhatsApp?
Open the Locked chats folder by swiping down on your chat list, authenticate, then tap and hold the chat. On Android tap More options, then Unlock chat; on iPhone tap Unlock chat. On WhatsApp Web, right click the chat and click Unlock chat. It returns to your main list.
Do locked chats work on WhatsApp Web and linked devices?
Yes, with a secret code. WhatsApp says you must create a secret code on your Android phone or iPhone to open locked chats on WhatsApp Web, and on your primary phone to open them on iPad. Hiding the folder and unlocking and clearing are done on the phone.
What if I forget my WhatsApp chat lock secret code?
Go to Settings, then Privacy, then Chat lock, and tap Unlock and clear locked chats. Your chats return to the main list, but their messages, photos and videos are cleared. You can restore them only from a backup made before you cleared them.
Locking a chat is private to your side, and the other person isn't told when you lock it. If your team shares one number, get started with Tenashi so customer chats don't depend on a single handset.