
OpenAI is reportedly developing a chat-lock feature for ChatGPT that would let users secure private conversations with a PIN or fingerprint scan. Inactive code found in the latest Android app includes phrases such as "locked chats" and "protect chats," according to Android Authority, though OpenAI has not officially announced the feature or given any timeline.

The feature would differ from existing temporary chats, which delete conversations after they end. Instead, a locked chat would remain saved in the user's account but require biometric authentication or a PIN to open. Questions remain about how locked chats would interact with ChatGPT's memory feature, code hints that locked conversations may be excluded from memory even when the memory setting is on.
If launched, the lock feature would benefit users who discuss sensitive topics like medical issues or job applications on ChatGPT and want to keep them private from others who access the same device. For now, the feature exists only as inactive code, and OpenAI has made no public statement about its release.
ChatGPT's temporary chats already offer a privacy layer, but they delete the conversation entirely once closed, making them useless for users who want to retain sensitive information while keeping it private. A locked-chat feature would bridge that gap, letting users hold on to, say, medical advice or salary negotiation drafts without exposing them to anyone else who opens the app on the same device. The key question is whether OpenAI will let locked chats feed the memory feature, which currently uses past conversations to personalise responses. If locked chats are truly isolated, users lose personalisation in those threads. OpenAI has not even confirmed this feature, so there is no release date or beta window to watch yet.
Source: bazaar.businesstoday.in
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