WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows you to easily connect with friends, family, coworkers, and more through instant messaging, voice and video calls. One handy feature in WhatsApp is the ability to hide recent chats so they don’t show up in your main chats list.
Why Would You Want to Hide Recent Chats?
There are a few reasons you may want to hide recent chats in WhatsApp:
- Privacy – You may want to hide a chat from being visible if someone else accesses your phone.
- Reduce clutter – Hiding less important chats can declutter your main chats list.
- Focus – Removing chats you interact with less can help you focus on more important conversations.
- Hide conversations – You can hide conversations you don’t want others to see if they glance at your phone.
How to Hide Recent Chats on Android
If you’re using WhatsApp for Android, there are a couple different ways to hide your recent chats:
Method 1: Archive Chats
The easiest way is to archive chats you want to hide:
- Open the WhatsApp app and go to your Chats tab.
- Tap and hold the chat you want to archive.
- Tap Archive. This removes the chat from your main Chats list.
- Repeat this for any other chats you want to hide.
Archived chats will remain hidden until you unarchive them. To view your archived chats:
- Tap the three dots menu in the upper right.
- Go to Archived chats.
- Tap a chat to unarchive it or swipe left to unarchive all chats.
Method 2: Pin Important Chats
You can also pin your most important chats to the top of your list:
- Long press a chat you want pinned.
- Tap the pin icon.
- Repeat for any other chats you want pinned.
This pushes your pinned chats to the top while other, unpinned chats will be sorted by most recent. So your frequent chats will stay pinned at the top while your less important, recent chats sink further down the list.
How to Hide Chats on iPhone
On iPhone, you have a few options for hiding chats:
Method 1: Archive Chats
Just like on Android, you can archive chats to hide them:
- Open the WhatsApp app and go to the Chats tab.
- Swipe left on a chat to archive it.
- Tap Archive in the popup menu.
- The chat will be removed from your main chat list.
- Repeat for any other chats you want to archive.
To view your archived chats on iPhone:
- Tap your profile icon in the bottom right.
- Go to Settings > Chats > Chat History.
- Tap Archived to see your archived chats.
Method 2: Use Do Not Disturb
You can also mute chats using Do Not Disturb to hide them:
- Open a chat you want to hide.
- Tap the contact’s name at the top.
- Toggle on Do Not Disturb.
- Repeat for any other chats you want to hide.
Chats you mute will not show up in your recent chats list. To view muted chats:
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- Tap Do Not Disturb.
- You’ll see any chats you’ve muted here.
How to Hide the Blue Check Marks
In addition to hiding chats, you may also want to disable the read receipts or “blue check marks” that show when someone has read your message.
To do this in WhatsApp:
- Go to Settings > Account > Privacy.
- Tap Read Receipts.
- Toggle the switch off. This disables read receipts.
Now when you view messages, it won’t send read receipts. And you won’t be able to see read receipts from others. This adds more privacy to your hidden chats.
Third-Party Apps to Hide Chats
There are also third-party apps you can use to hide WhatsApp chats:
| App | Platform | Features |
|---|---|---|
| ChatLock | Android | Password protect chats, fake chat previews |
| Calculator % | Android | Hide chats behind calculator app |
| LockChat | iOS | Passcode lock specific chats |
| CoverMe | iOS | Hide content of notifications |
These apps provide more advanced ways to lock, password protect, and disguise your WhatsApp chats from showing in your chat list or notifications.
Other WhatsApp Privacy Tips
In addition to hiding chats, there are some other privacy settings you should check in WhatsApp:
- Profile Photo – Set who can see your profile photo in Settings > Account > Privacy
- About – Control who can see your About info in Settings > Account > Privacy
- Last Seen – Choose who can view your last seen time in Settings > Account > Privacy
- Groups – Manage your groups visibility in Settings > Account > Privacy
- Live Location – Change who can see your live location in Settings > Account > Privacy
Tightening up these settings gives you greater control over who can view your personal information within WhatsApp.
Conclusion
Hiding your recent chats is easy on both iPhone and Android by archiving chats or using Do Not Disturb. This helps reduce clutter, maintain privacy, and conceal conversations on your WhatsApp account. Third-party apps offer even more advanced ways to lock, password protect, and disguise chats.
Along with hiding chats, be sure to check your broader privacy settings to control who can view your profile, status, groups, and location information. With these simple tips, you can keep your WhatsApp activity more private.