Popular instant message social platform, WhatsApp, has introduced a new feature to help users keep their messages private and secure.

The new feature, called Chat Lock, allows users to protect their most intimate conversations behind one more layer of security from prying eyes.

In a statement, WhatsApp said that locking a chat takes that thread out of the inbox and puts it behind its own folder that can only be accessed with a user's device password or biometric, like a fingerprint. It also automatically hides the contents of that chat in notifications, too.

The Meta owned social media platform added that Chat Lock will be great for people who have reason to share their phones from time to time with a family member or those moments where someone else is holding their phones at the exact moment an extra special chat arrives. 

WhatsApp revealed that users can lock a chat by tapping the name of a one-to-one or group and selecting the lock option and to reveal these chats, slowly pull down on their inbox and enter their phone password or biometric.

Although the new feature is already being rolled out, WhatsApp said it will, over the next few months, add more options for Chat Lock, including locking for companion devices and creating a custom password for chats so that users can use a unique password different from the one they use for their phones.

The social platform's global users can access Chat Lock For both Android and iOS devices. Users can update their app to get the latest version to get the new feature.

WhatsApp already has several security and privacy oriented features, such as end-to-end encryption, encrypted chat backup, disappearing messages, screenshot blocking, among others. With the latest update, Meta is further creating a robust privacy and security system for WhatsApp's over 2.24 billion monthly users.