OpenAI may be preparing a new privacy feature for ChatGPT that would allow users to lock individual conversations behind a PIN or fingerprint. Evidence for the feature was found in the code of a recent Android version of the app, according to Android Authority. The reported feature, referred to in the code as “Locked chats” and “Protect chats,” could give users a way to retain sensitive conversations while keeping them hidden from the regular chat history.
Locked chats found in Android code
The reported feature was identified in ChatGPT Android version 1.2026.230. The code suggests that users could protect individual conversations using a PIN or fingerprint, while their titles and contents would be kept out of the normal sidebar, chat history and ChatGPT search results. A chat would reportedly remain protected even after it is opened until the user deliberately changes it back to a regular conversation.
This would be different from simply archiving a conversation. OpenAI currently allows users to archive chats to remove them from the main sidebar while retaining them in their account, but archived conversations are not protected by an additional chat-specific authentication layer.
How it could differ from Temporary Chat
ChatGPT already offers Temporary Chats for conversations that users do not want saved in their regular history. OpenAI says Temporary Chats are not added to ChatGPT memory and are not used to train its models. (OpenAI)
The reported locked-chat feature appears aimed at a different use case: keeping a conversation saved but private. According to the Android code examined by Android Authority, locked chats could remain accessible to the user while being hidden from ordinary history and search. This could be useful for conversations involving personal matters, financial information, private projects or other sensitive subjects that users may want to revisit later. (Android Authority)
Memory could work separately
One of the more notable aspects of the reported feature concerns ChatGPT's memory system. The code indicates that locked conversations could use information already available through ChatGPT's memory, while new information learned from locked chats could remain within the locked-chat environment rather than being used to personalise ordinary conversations. (Android Authority)
That would create a separate privacy boundary for information generated through protected conversations. However, the precise implementation could change before any public release.
No confirmed launch date yet
The feature has not been officially announced by OpenAI, and the presence of code does not guarantee that it will become available to users. Android Authority noted that product plans can change and that there is currently no confirmed launch timeline. (Android Authority)
For now, users who want to keep a conversation away from their normal chat history can use Temporary Chat, while saved conversations can be archived. OpenAI also provides account-level security features, including multi-factor authentication and other security controls. (OpenAI)
If launched as described, locked chats could fill a gap between temporary conversations and ordinary saved chats, giving users a way to preserve sensitive discussions without leaving them openly visible in their ChatGPT history.
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