Think back to 2019. COVID hadn’t yet turned us into gormless TikTok-scrolling beasts but we also only had a single device that could send WhatsApp messages at a time. We were happy. Once Meta introduced the wonders of linked device functionality, we began getting greedy. We were a part of that crowd that couldn’t understand why Locked Chats didn’t appear so when accessed from a secondary device.
All that griping seems to have gotten through, however. WhatsApp is bringing Locked Chat parity to the numerous devices your account is available on. Finally. That’s what WABetaInfo had to say on the subject, having spotted the feature (though it’s not quite fully functional yet) in the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.4.14 update. If that sounds like a beta you can get behind, sheath those ambitions. The program has been full for over a year now.
Under Lock and ‘secret code’
The image pretty much explains it all. WABetaInfo found this altered line of text floating around when creating a new Chat Lock, with the prompt stating, “We also locked this chat on your linked device. Use your secret code to open.”
That tells us a few things. First, the obvious; Chat Locks are supported on secondary devices as well as the primary device you set them up on. Second: that “secret code” needed is the same one you’ll already have set up after the feature dropped in November 2023 — creating even more parity amongst your devices, eliminating the need for multiple “secret codes” across each device with Locked Chats.
Read More: Using WhatsApp’s new Secret Code feature won’t make anyone suspicious at all /s
According to WABetaInfo, the feature has yet to reach Meta’s beta testers, meaning the feature could still be a ways off. For now, you’ll have to make do with your secondary device’s chats remaining unlocked.