ChatGPT adds Locked Chats with PIN and Face ID, but no encryption
Representative image: kieutruongphoto / Pixabay
OpenAI began rolling out Locked Chats in ChatGPT on October 20, 2026, hiding chosen conversations behind a PIN or biometrics; it is not end-to-end encryption.
What Happened
OpenAI began rolling out a feature called Locked Chats in ChatGPT on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. It lets users move chosen conversations out of their normal chat history and open them only with a four-digit PIN, or with Face ID, Touch ID or the phone's own unlock method on supported devices. The company says the feature is coming to the Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans gradually, and that it is not end-to-end encryption.
Key Facts
- Locked Chats began rolling out on October 20, 2026; OpenAI says some accounts may take a few days to get it.
- A locked chat is opened with a four-digit account PIN, or with Face ID, Touch ID or a device unlock on supported devices.
- Its title and content disappear from regular history, pinned chats and normal conversation search, and sit in a separate Locked Chats section.
- If Memory is on, locked chats share a separate memory space with each other and do not update a user's regular memory.
- Resetting the PIN permanently deletes all locked chats and files protected only by the old PIN; OpenAI says its support team cannot recover them.
- The feature is not available on ChatGPT for Healthcare, and temporary chats cannot be locked.
Why It Matters
People now use AI chatbots for more than homework and coding. They ask about health worries, money trouble, relationships and job applications, and those conversations stay in a scrollable history on a phone or laptop that family members, friends or colleagues may pick up. In India, where phones and laptops are often shared within a household, a second lock on sensitive chats answers a real, everyday problem.
What the feature does is control who can see a chat on the device. Hiding a conversation from the sidebar and search, and asking for a PIN or a face scan to open it, stops casual snooping. Keeping a separate memory for locked chats also means that something said in a private conversation is less likely to surface in an unrelated one.
What the feature does not do is just as important, and OpenAI states it plainly. End-to-end encryption means only the sender and receiver can read a message, not the company in the middle. Locked Chats are not that. The conversations are still stored on OpenAI's systems under the same rules as before. Locking a chat does not change how long OpenAI keeps data or whether a user's chats may be used to improve its models; that is still decided by the separate "Improve the model for everyone" setting. In short, the lock protects a chat from the person next to you, not from the service itself.
The PIN rule also deserves attention. Because resetting the PIN deletes everything it protected, users who forget it lose those chats for good. That is a deliberate trade-off: a lock that support staff could open would be a weaker lock.
| Locked Chats at a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Rollout began | October 20, 2026 |
| Unlock | 4-digit PIN, Face ID, Touch ID or device unlock |
| Plans | Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu |
| Not included | ChatGPT for Healthcare; temporary chats |
| Encryption | Not end-to-end encrypted, OpenAI says |
Impact
Short-term: Over the coming days, users should see an option to lock individual conversations. Anyone who sets a PIN should note it safely, since forgetting it and resetting means losing the locked chats.
Long-term: The move adds to a broader push by AI companies to give users more control over their data as chatbots become places for personal conversations. It may also raise pressure for stronger protections, such as encryption, which OpenAI has not offered here.
Who is affected: ChatGPT users on the main consumer, business and education plans, especially people who share devices or discuss private matters with the chatbot; schools and companies using ChatGPT accounts; and parents who look at their children's devices.
Key Takeaway
ChatGPT's Locked Chats hide chosen conversations behind a PIN or biometrics from October 20, 2026, but they do not encrypt them or change how OpenAI stores and uses data.
Questions and Answers
How do ChatGPT Locked Chats work?
From October 20, 2026, users can lock a chosen conversation so it vanishes from regular history, pinned chats and search, and can be opened only with a four-digit PIN or, on supported devices, Face ID, Touch ID or the device unlock.
Are ChatGPT Locked Chats encrypted?
No. OpenAI says locking does not provide end-to-end encryption and does not change data retention or whether chats can be used to improve its models.
What happens if I forget my Locked Chats PIN?
Resetting the PIN permanently deletes all locked chats and files protected only by the old PIN. OpenAI says its support team cannot recover them.
Which ChatGPT plans get Locked Chats?
OpenAI says Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu users will get it gradually. It is not available in ChatGPT for Healthcare, and temporary chats cannot be locked.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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