Here’s how to hide and unhide messages in WhatsApp

WhatsApp is undoubtedly the most popular messaging app. It also duly updates it which keep adding features. However, in spite of its many features, there’s still something missing from it that is available in other apps like
Telegram and Hike – a secret chat or the ability to hide specific chats from prying eyes. 

While WhatsApp recently introduced fingerprint lock for its Android app and offers Touch ID and Face ID lock for iPhones, there’s no way to lock or hide a specific chat. Still, we can use an in-built feature to hide the chat from the home screen. 

How to hide a chat in WhatsApp

Android devices 

• Open WhatsApp and look for the chat that you want to hide.
• Long press the chat that you want to hide.
• Now, click on the archive button at the top right corner to hide the chat.

Apple iPhones

• Open WhatsApp and look for the chat that you want to hide.
• Now, right swipe on the chat and click the ‘Archive’ button.
• The chat is now archived and no longer visible in your chat list.

How to unhide a chat in WhatsApp

If you want to unhide an archived chat in WhatsApp, follow these below steps: 

Android devices

• Open WhatsApp and scroll down to the bottom of the chats.
• You will see an ‘Archived’ option. Click on this to see the chats that you have archived.
• Now, long press on the chat that you want to unarchive and click on ‘Unarchive chat’ button at the top right corner.

Apple iPhones

• Open WhatsApp and go to the top of the chat list.
• Now, pull down and you will get the ‘Archived Chats’ option.
• Top on the ‘Archived Chats’ option and right swipe on the chat that you want to unarchive.
• Now, tap on ‘Unarchive’.

It must be noted that if you receive a message after you have archived the chat, the chat will get unarchived and will be visible in the chat list.