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The WhatsApp app gains a new feature to bring more protection and improve the privacy of its users.

Using the messaging app, users can now better protect their conversations by hiding a chat on the app's main screen.

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A folder is created, called “Protected Conversations”, to store all chats hidden with the new feature.

It is only possible to access such conversations through a password created by the user, or using biometrics, such as fingerprint and facial recognition.

This functionality is also capable of hiding the content of conversations in the cell phone's notification shade.

How to use the new WhatsApp feature?

The WhatsApp app brought this new feature to help with user privacy, especially if more people can access the cell phone.

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This new functionality was launched, with the “Protected Conversations” folder, on May 15th.

Below are the steps to use this feature:

  1. Open WhatsApp on your cell phone;
  2. Tap on the contact or group name;
  3. Open the lock option;
  4. Now, perform conversation protection.

See also the steps to reveal a hidden chat:

  1. Drag the input box down;
  2. Enter the password that was created or use biometrics to unlock;
  3. Ready, the chat will be shown.

It was also announced by WhatsApp that, in the coming months, other features should be launched to further improve user security.

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One of these upcoming features is the ability to customize passwords for each conversation.

App feature against account theft

WhatsApp also announced this year that protection changes were added to the app to further improve security.

The measure is aimed at preventing account theft, asking the user for confirmation on the old cell phone to transfer the account to a new device.

This also alerts the user that someone may be trying to steal their account. If the user does not authorize the transfer, the action is blocked.

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Verification for this account transfer occurs as follows:

  • The WhatsApp application sends a notification to the old cell phone for the user to authorize the migration of the account to a new device;
  • The alert sent contains useful information, such as the model of the new cell phone to which the account must be transferred;
  • In this alert, the user is also informed that, upon completion of the transfer, the old cell phone will lose the WhatsApp account.

The company created this feature to reduce cases of account theft and related scams, blocking malicious actions more easily.

This feature helps a lot if, by chance, the user shared their application verification code with someone else.

What happens if the cell phone is stolen?

If the cell phone is stolen or stolen, the user can request a new one-time password from WhatsApp.

This also applies to situations involving loss of the cell phone, damage to the device and any other situation that prevents the user from using the device.

Thus, when the user uses the one-time password, they will be able to recover the account and transfer it to a new cell phone.