{
  "id": 15864985,
  "title": "ChatGPT now lets you lock private chats with a PIN or Face ID",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/chatgpt-now-lets-you-lock-private-chats-with-a-pin-or-face-id",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-21T07:25:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/technology/companies/chatgpt-now-lets-you-lock-private-chats-with-a-pin-or-face-id-1.500718102"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "OpenAI has introduced a new feature to ChatGPT that allows users to lock individual conversations with a four-digit PIN or biometric authentication such as Face ID or Touch ID on supported mobile devices. This feature, announced on October 20, removes locked chats from regular chat history and search results, but they can still be accessed whenever needed.\n\nTo lock a conversation, open the conversation's menu, select \"Lock chat,\" and confirm. Enter your four-digit account PIN. The conversation will then move to a separate \"Locked chats\" section. To unlock a chat, select \"Unlock chat\" from the conversation menu. Locked chats can also be returned to regular history.\n\nIf you forget your PIN and reset it, all locked chats, along with any files and information stored within them, will be permanently deleted. OpenAI Support will not be able to recover the deleted content. However, existing users can change their PIN without losing their conversations.\n\nLocking a chat does not provide end-to-end encryption or change OpenAI's data-retention policies. It also does not affect whether conversations can be used to improve AI models, as that is governed by existing account settings. For Business, Enterprise, and Edu users, workplace compliance and retention rules still apply.\n\nIt's important to note that locking a conversation does not revoke any shared links created before it was locked. Users must delete those links separately to prevent continued access to previously shared content. OpenAI is gradually rolling out the Locked Chats feature to Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu users on the web, iOS, and Android platforms, as well as the new ChatGPT desktop apps for Windows and macOS. Users who cannot find the Lock chat option may need to wait for the rollout to reach their account.",
  "summary": "Dubai: Want to keep certain ChatGPT conversations out of sight without deleting them? OpenAI has introduced a feature that lets users lock individual chats with a four-digit PIN or, on supported mobile devices, Face ID, Touch ID or device authentication. The feature, announced on Tuesday, October 20, removes locked conversations from regular chat history and search results. Users can still return…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}