--- title: "WhatsApp Privacy on iPhone: Hide, Lock and Limit It (iOS 27)" description: "WhatsApp privacy settings on iPhone: lock it with Face ID, hide it, use screen Lock, lock a chat and more. Checked for iOS 27." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/whatsapp lang: en-gb published: 2026-10-31 updated: 2026-10-31 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # WhatsApp privacy on iPhone: every setting > Every way to hide, lock and limit WhatsApp on iPhone, from iOS and from the app itself. Published 2026-10-31 - Updated 2026-10-31 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team - Checked against iOS 27 - 31 Oct 2026 ## Quick answer You can lock WhatsApp with Face ID: touch and hold it and tap Require Face ID. On iOS 18 or later you can also hide it in the locked Hidden folder. WhatsApp has its own lock too: Screen Lock. Inside the app, lock a chat, hide the Locked Chats folder with a secret code and send photos and videos as View once are available. - **Developer:** WhatsApp Inc. - **Own lock:** Screen Lock - **Can be hidden:** Yes (iOS 18+) - **iPad app:** Yes You can lock WhatsApp with Face ID: touch and hold it and tap Require Face ID. On iOS 18 or later you can also hide it in the locked Hidden folder. WhatsApp has its own lock too: Screen Lock. Inside the app, lock a chat, hide the Locked Chats folder with a secret code and send photos and videos as View once are available. This page collects every privacy setting for WhatsApp on iPhone, from iOS and from WhatsApp's own settings, checked against official help pages in October 2026. ## WhatsApp guides | Task | Fastest method | Time | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | Hide apps | Hide and Require Face ID | 10 sec | [How to hide WhatsApp on iPhone](/en-gb/hide-apps/whatsapp) | | Lock apps | Require Face ID | 10 sec | [How to lock WhatsApp on iPhone](/en-gb/lock-apps/whatsapp) | | Block apps | Time Allowance | 2 min | [How to block WhatsApp on iPhone](/en-gb/block-apps/whatsapp) | | Hide photos | Turn off Save to Camera Roll | 1 min | [How to hide photos in WhatsApp](/en-gb/hide-photos/whatsapp) | ## What iOS can do with WhatsApp | Setting | Available for WhatsApp | Where | |---|---|---| | Lock with Face ID | Yes | Touch and hold the icon -> Require Face ID | | Hide in the Hidden folder | Yes | Touch and hold -> Require Face ID -> Hide and Require Face ID | | Remove from Home Screen | Yes | Touch and hold -> Remove App -> Remove from Home Screen | | Hide notification previews | Yes | Settings -> Notifications -> WhatsApp -> Show Previews | | Exclude from Siri and search | Yes | Settings -> Siri -> Excluded Apps | | Limit with Screen Time | Yes | Settings -> Screen Time -> Time Allowances | ## WhatsApp's own privacy settings ### Screen Lock Requires Face ID or Touch ID to open WhatsApp, after a wait time you choose. If Face ID or Touch ID fails, your iPhone passcode unlocks it. You can still reply to messages from notifications and answer calls while it is locked. ### Lock a chat Swipe left on a chat, or touch and hold it, and choose to lock it. The chat moves to a Locked Chats folder that opens with Face ID, your iPhone passcode, or a secret code. The other people in the chat are not notified. ### Hide the Locked Chats folder with a secret code You can hide the Locked Chats folder from your chat list. To open it, type your secret code in the search bar. If you forget the code, you can only reset it by clearing all messages, photos, and videos in your locked chats. ### Send photos and videos as View once View once photos, videos, and voice messages cannot be forwarded, saved, starred, or shared by the person who receives them. ### Turn off Save to Camera Roll Go to **Settings -> Chats -> Save to Camera Roll**. Stops photos and videos you receive from being saved to the iPhone Photos app. They stay inside WhatsApp. ### Set Save to Camera Roll for one chat Open a contact's or group's info screen and set Save to Camera Roll to Default, Always, or Never for that chat only. ### Notification previews Go to **Settings -> Notifications -> Show Preview**. Turn off Show Preview to hide message text in WhatsApp notifications. Locked chats always show only "WhatsApp" instead of the contact name and message. ### Parent-managed accounts Parents can set up WhatsApp for a pre-teen with messaging and calling only. A 6-digit parent PIN protects the privacy settings, and parents decide who can contact the account and which groups it can join. ## Keep WhatsApp photos out of your camera roll Photos you save from WhatsApp land in the Photos app, outside any app lock. Move private ones into a vault and delete the originals. > **Lock this in VaultForYou.** Keep WhatsApp photos in an encrypted vault that opens only with a pattern you draw. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000) ## Frequently asked questions ### Can you lock WhatsApp on iPhone? Yes. Touch and hold WhatsApp, tap Require Face ID and confirm. It then needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to open. WhatsApp also has its own lock, Screen Lock. ### Can you hide WhatsApp on iPhone? Yes. On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold WhatsApp, tap Require Face ID, then Hide and Require Face ID. It moves to the locked Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library and leaves search results. ### Does WhatsApp have its own passcode? WhatsApp has Screen Lock. Requires Face ID or Touch ID to open WhatsApp, after a wait time you choose. If Face ID or Touch ID fails, your iPhone passcode unlocks it. You can still reply to messages from notifications and answer calls while it is locked. It uses your iPhone's Face ID or passcode rather than a separate code. ### Do WhatsApp settings sync to my iPad? The iOS lock and hidden status don't sync with iCloud; set them on each device. WhatsApp has an iPad app, so repeat the steps there. ## Sources - [Apple Support: Lock or hide an app on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-or-hide-an-app-iph00f208d05/ios) - [WhatsApp Help Center: Turn chat lock on or off](https://faq.whatsapp.com/764072925284841/?cms_platform=iphone) - [WhatsApp Help Center: How to use Touch ID or Face ID for WhatsApp](https://faq.whatsapp.com/876873509397404/) - [WhatsApp Help Center: How to manage your notifications](https://faq.whatsapp.com/797069521522888/?cms_platform=iphone) - [WhatsApp Blog: Introducing parent-managed accounts](https://blog.whatsapp.com/introducing-parent-managed-accounts-on-whatsapp) ## WhatsApp guides - [How to hide WhatsApp on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps/whatsapp) - [How to lock WhatsApp on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/lock-apps/whatsapp) - [How to block WhatsApp on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps/whatsapp) - [How to hide photos in WhatsApp](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-photos/whatsapp) ## Other messaging apps - [Messages privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/messages) - [Facebook Messenger privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/messenger) - [Signal privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/signal) - [Telegram privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/telegram) - [LINE privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/line) - [Viber privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/viber) ## Browse - [All apps](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps) - [Hide apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps) - [Lock apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/lock-apps) - [Block apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps) - [Hide photos on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-photos) --- Our guides are written and fact-checked by the VaultForYou team against Apple's own documentation. We make VaultForYou, a private vault app for iPhone. Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000