ABC of putting passwords on WhatsApp for your most private conversations

WhatsApp has established itself as one of the most popular messaging apps, amassing over two billion active users worldwide. The app allows you to exchange instant messages, make voice and video calls, send multimedia files, and share important moments through your statuses.

Similarly, other options that WhatsApp has are the ability to protect the information saved in each conversation such as end-to-end encryption, two-step verification, and recently the ability to protect specific conversations using passwords or biometric identification.

These tools, although useful, are often unknown to many users, who could benefit from the additional protection they offer, Especially when it comes to keeping certain conversations away from prying eyes.

Although many users rely on phone security mechanisms like pattern or fingerprint, these measures may not be enough when it comes to keeping certain conversations under an extra level of protection.

WhatsApp offers an effective solution for those who want to secure their most private messages: the option to restrict chats using a password or biometric identification. This extra layer of security ensures that even if someone manages to unlock your phone, they won’t be able to access your restricted chats without proper permission.

This feature allows you to block individual conversations, meaning that even if the app is open, specific chats will be hidden and can only be opened by the owner using a key or authentication method.

This is especially useful for those who, despite trusting the people they allow access to their devices, They want to keep some messages completely private.

The process of restricting chats on WhatsApp is simple, although it varies slightly depending on the device used, Whether it’s iPhone or Android. Here are the steps to enable this feature on both platforms:

• Open the WhatsApp application on the iPhone.
• Select the conversation you want to restrict.
• Press and hold Speak for a few seconds until the options menu appears.
• In the displayed menu, select the “Restrict Chat” option.
• WhatsApp will inform you that the chat will be restricted and hidden from public view of conversations.

Once you restrict access to that conversation, it will be protected by Face ID, Apple’s facial recognition system. This ensures that only the iPhone owner can open and view messages from that chat.

• Go to WhatsApp and select the conversation you want to protect.
• Click on the three dots in the upper right corner to open the options menu.
• Within the menu, select the “Restrict Chat” option.
• WhatsApp will notify you that the chat will be restricted and hidden.

On Android devices, Access to restricted chats can be secured using face recognition or fingerprints.This depends on the security capabilities of the phone.

WhatsApp’s chat restriction feature offers multiple benefits for those looking for greater privacy in their conversations. Among the main advantages, they highlight that, unlike other applications that allow blocking access to the entire application, this WhatsApp function allows you to hide and protect individual conversations.

On the other hand, in situations where the phone is lost or stolen, and despite the possibility of unlocking the device, Restricted chats will remain inaccessible without your password or biometric authentication.

Users can also specify which conversations they want to protect, allowing them to manage their privacy in a more personalized and specific way. Additionally, this feature is easy to implement and does not require advanced technical knowledge.

Likewise, it is recommended to use this feature in conjunction with other security measures, such as two-step authentication, to ensure comprehensive protection of accounts and conversations.