WhatsApp: hide chat - is that possible?

If you want to hide a certain WhatsApp chat from prying eyes, you can simply hide it. We'll explain how the two options work.

Hide WhatsApp chat? It works with one trick

You can archive a chat to make it invisible in the WhatsApp main menu:

Press and hold the chat you want, then select the "Archive Chat" icon at the top right. It is to the left of the three dots and has an arrow pointing down.
The chat will no longer be displayed in your chat overview on WhatsApp. You will now see the "Archived Chats" section below.
Click on "Archived Chats" and then again longer on the desired chat if you want to get it back. To do this, you have to tap the above symbol again. All messages are still available to you through the archiving in the chat. Nothing is lost during archiving.
The chat is only hidden in your overview. If the contact writes to you, you will be shown this as usual at the top.

If you want to protect all your chats from unwanted readers, you can also protect the app with a password. This app makes it possible:

Android: With Smart App Lock you can lock individual apps such as WhatsApp or Facebook.
Unfortunately there is no comparable app for iOS without a jailbreak.

If you no longer want to chat with a person, you can delete the contact completely. We will show you how this works in another practical tip.