OpenAI announced on Tuesday that users can now lock ChatGPT conversations with a four-digit PIN or biometrics like Face ID and Touch ID to keep sensitive chats private. The new feature is designed for situations where users discuss personal topics or plan surprises and want to protect their privacy when handing a device to friends or family. Locked conversations move to a dedicated section separate from regular history, pinned chats, and search results.
Unlike temporary chats, users can return to locked conversations at any time. When Memory is enabled, locked chats share a separate memory pool that prevents new information from leaking into regular chats. However, OpenAI clarified that locking a conversation does not provide end-to-end encryption, alter data retention policies, or remove information previously remembered by the AI model.
The feature rolls out starting Tuesday for users across Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu tiers, though it is excluded from healthcare plans and temporary or archived sessions. Resetting a PIN will permanently delete all content protected by the previous code.
This privacy update matters because it gives millions of users practical device-level control over sensitive personal interactions within the widely used AI platform.