How to Use the WhatsApp Lock Feature

Secure your messaging with your fingerprint

By
Dawna Roberts
Dawna Roberts
Dawna Roberts
Writer
  • University of Phoenix
Dawna M. Roberts has 20+ years' experience in technology. Her works have appeared in Forbes, Huffington Post, Actiontec, Hackernoon, and other publications.
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Updated on December 28, 2021

What to Know

  • On iPhone: Open WhatsApp. Tap Account > Privacy > Screen Lock. Turn on Require Face ID. Select a time until the lock engages.
  • On Android: Open WhatsApp. Tap the three-dot menu icon. Choose Settings > Account > Privacy > Fingerprint lock.
  • Then, tap the Unlock with fingerprint toggle to turn on the feature. Choose the amount of time before the lock engages.

This article explains how to lock WhatsApp on mobile devices. This information applies to both Android and iOS. However, the fingerprint lock feature only works on devices running Android 6.0 and later.

How to Lock WhatsApp on iPhone

If WhatsApp is your chosen vehicle for secure messaging and phone calls, you’ll be delighted that there's now even more to love. To secure WhatsApp to keep prying eyes out, use the WhatsApp Lock feature to add a fingerprint lock or Face ID lock. 

iPhone provides many ways to secure your privacy, and one of them is the WhatsApp privacy lock using Face ID. To turn that feature on, follow these steps.

  1. Open WhatsApp.

  2. Tap Account.

  3. Tap Privacy.

  4. Scroll down and tap Screen Lock.

    WhatsApp lock on iPhone.

  5. Use the toggle switch to turn on Require Face ID.

  6. Choose how quickly you want the lock to engage. Tap Immediately, After 1 minute, After 15 minutes, or After 1 hour.

    WhatsApp lock on iPhone.

    To turn off the WhatsApp lock, simply return to this screen and toggle Require Face ID off.

How to Use the WhatsApp Fingerprint Lock on Android

The developers of WhatsApp care about your privacy, which is why they have included a WhatsApp fingerprint lock for Android. To set it up, follow these steps.

According to WhatsApp, this feature is only available on Android devices with a fingerprint sensor running Android 6.0 or later. The feature also isn’t supported on the Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Galaxy Note 4, or Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

  1. Open WhatsApp.

  2. Tap the three vertical dot menu at the top right.

  3. Tap Settings > Account.

  4. Tap Privacy. 

    WhatsApp lock on Android.

  5. Scroll to the bottom and tap Fingerprint lock.

    You must have fingerprint lock set up on your Android device before turning on this feature; otherwise, you will get a notice reminding you to do so.

  6. Tap the Unlock with fingerprint toggle switch to enable the feature.

    WhatsApp lock on Android.

    To disable the fingerprint lock, simply tap the Unlock with fingerprint toggle switch to turn it off.

  7. Touch the fingerprint sensor to confirm.

  8. Choose the amount of time you want before the fingerprint lock engages.

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