ChatGPT now lets you lock chats behind a PIN or Face ID

OpenAI is rolling out Locked Chats in ChatGPT, a feature meant for moments like handing your phone to someone to show them a different conversation. You lock or unlock a chat from the three-dot menu inside it. Locked chats live in a Projects Locked chats section of the sidebar and are removed from normal history, search and lists.

To open them, you need a four-digit PIN you set yourself. On mobile you can also use Face ID, Touch ID or a fingerprint. Locked chats have their own memory, shared only among locked chats. If you forget the PIN and reset it, everything in your locked chats is permanently deleted.

The feature is available on Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu accounts, though it may not have reached every eligible account yet. It is not available in ChatGPT for Healthcare. You cannot lock temporary or archived chats, group chats, or chats that include meeting recordings.

The limits matter. Locking is an access control, not end-to-end encryption, so it does not mean only you can read the content. OpenAI can still access locked conversations, and they can be used to train models if the Improve the model for everyone setting is on. It also does not erase anything ChatGPT remembered before you locked a chat, and it does not override workplace rules or legal obligations tied to your account.

Our take

This is a sensible fix for a real everyday problem: the shared phone or laptop. Just don't mistake a hidden chat for a private one, since the data handling behind it is unchanged.