Meta is now rolling out 'Chat Lock,' a new WhatsApp privacy feature allowing users to block others from accessing their most personal conversations.

Chat Lock will create a new folder that can be locked with a password or biometric methods like a fingerprint.

You can ensure the privacy of your conversations by choosing the lock option after tapping the name of a one-to-one or group chat.

"Locking a chat takes that thread out of your inbox and puts it behind its own folder that can only be accessed with your device's password or biometric, like a fingerprint," WhatsApp said today.

It will also automatically hide details of the locked chat in notifications to prevent others from snooping in while using the phone.

"We believe this feature will be great for people who share their phones from time to time with a family member, or in moments where someone else is holding your phone at the exact moment an extra-special chat arrives," the company added.

To view locked chats, gently pull down on your inbox, and authenticate yourself with your password or the biometric identification you used when locking the conversation.

Today, WhatsApp added that it's planning to further expand Chat Lock capabilities to provide users with additional features.

These forthcoming additions include locks explicitly designed for companion devices and the ability to establish a personalized password for your chats, allowing the use of a distinct password separate from your phone's credentials.

WhatsApp also introduced end-to-end encryption seven years ago and started rolling out end-to-end encrypted chat backups to iOS and Android five years later, in October 2021, to block access to backed-up chat content.

In December 2021, WhatsApp expanded the platform's privacy control features by adding default disappearing messages to all new chats.

Meta says the WhatsApp video calling and instant messaging platform is now used by over two billion people worldwide.