5 Ways to Hide WhatsApp Chats

Does any of your family members access your phone regularly and you don’t want them to have access to your WhatsApp chats? In such situations, you might want to hide WhatsApp chats. Thankfully, you don’t need to delete a WhatsApp chat to hide it. You can hide WhatsApp chats in other ways on your iPhone or Android device.

You can hide a WhatsApp chat by using the chat lock feature, by archiving chats, or by locking WhatsApp. Let’s check all the methods in detail.

1. Hide WhatsApp Chat of One Person

WhatsApp has a native feature known as Chat Lock that lets you hide individual chats by locking them using a fingerprint, Face ID, or phone passcode. When you lock a chat, it will be hidden from the main chat list on WhatsApp and taken to a separate folder known as the Locked folder, which must be unlocked to access the hidden chats. This method lets you hide WhatsApp chat messages without archiving or deleting chats.

Follow these steps to hide WhatsApp chats by locking a chat:

Note: This feature is currently available for Android Beta users only. It will be available soon for regular Android and iPhone users.

Step 1: Launch WhatsApp on your phone and open the chat that you want to hide.

Step 2: Tap on the contact or the group name at the top.

Step 3: Scroll down and tap on Chat lock.

Step 4: Enable the toggle next to ‘Lock this chat with fingerprint’. You will be asked to scan your fingerprint. Do so and the chat would be locked and taken to the Locked folder.

To access the Locked folder, go to the home screen of WhatsApp and swipe down from the top of the app. Tap on Locked chats. Scan your fingerprint to view the locked chats.

Note: Locked chats will not be hidden on the linked devices.

Tip: Know how to edit a WhatsApp message.

2. Hide WhatsApp Chat Temporarily by Archiving It

Another way to hide WhatsApp chats without deleting them is by simply archiving them. The archive feature removes chats from the main chat list and takes them to a separate folder known as the Archived folder. The chats will remain hidden in the Archived folder unless you receive a new message from the archived chat. It must be noted that, unlike locked chats, archived chats can be easily accessed by someone by opening the Archived folder as it isn’t secured by fingerprint or passcode.

Archive a WhatsApp Chat on Android

To archive a chat in order to hide it on Android, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open WhatsApp on your Android phone.

Step 2: Long-press on the chat that you want to archive. Tap on the Archive icon at the top. If you don’t see it, tap on the three-dot icon followed by Archive.

That’s it. The chat will be taken to the Archived folder present on the home screen of WhatsApp.

Archive a WhatsApp Chat on iPhone

Step 1: Launch WhatsApp on your iPhone.

Step 2: Slightly swipe left on the chat you want to archive and tap on the Archive button.

To access the archived chats, tap on the Archive folder on the WhatsApp home screen.

3. Hide Chat Permanently

Typically, an archived chat will become visible if you receive a new message in it. In case you want archived chats to remain hidden and archived, WhatsApp has a feature for that too. However, this setting will apply to all archived chats. So, once enabled, all archived chats will continue to remain hidden even if you get a new message in them.

To enable this feature, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open WhatsApp on your Android or iPhone.

Step 2: Go to WhatsApp Settings. For that, tap on the Settings tab at the bottom on iPhone, and on Android, tap on the three-dot icon followed by Settings.

Step 3: Tap on Chats and enable the toggle next to Keep Chats Archived.

Step 4: Now, archive the chats and they will stay hidden if you receive a new message.

Tip: Know what happens when you clear a WhatsApp chat.

4. Hide WhatsApp Chat Without Archive

If you don’t want anyone to access your WhatsApp, WhatsApp offers a native feature to lock the app using fingerprint or Face ID. By doing so, all chats will be hidden automatically without archiving them. You must unlock the app first to see WhatsApp messages.

Step 1: Open WhatsApp on your phone and go to its Settings.

Step 2: Tap on Privacy.

Step 3: Tap on the Fingerprint lock or Screen Lock.

Step 4: Enable the toggle for Require Touch ID or Require Face ID (depending on your iPhone model).

5. Hide All WhatsApp Conversations

In case you want to hide all the chats from the main screen of WhatsApp without deleting or locking them, you can do it using the Archive all chats feature.

Follow these steps to hide all WhatsApp chats on your Android or iPhone:

Step 1: Open WhatsApp and go to its Settings.

Step 2: Tap on Chats followed by Keep Chats Archived. On Android, you will need to tap on Chat History followed by Archive all chats.

FAQs About Hiding WhatsApp Chats

Make WhatsApp Private

Just like hiding WhatsApp chats, there are other ways to make your WhatsApp private. Learn how to hide last seen or online status in WhatsApp. Also, know how to hide your profile picture from others on WhatsApp.