OpenAI is developing a feature for the ChatGPT Android app that allows users to lock specific conversations behind a PIN or fingerprint. Discovered in a recent app teardown on August 21, 2026, at 3:22 PM ET by Edgar Cervantes of Android Authority, this development aims to keep sensitive chats out of the regular history and search results.
The feature was spotted in the app's latest version 1.2026.230 release. By securing these conversations, users can retain their data for future use without leaving it visible in their regular history. The initial report was also shared via an Android Authority Facebook post, which garnered one reaction from the community.
How Authentication Secures Your History
According to code strings found in ChatGPT's Android version 1.2026.230, the new feature will hide selected chats from the regular sidebar. Users will need biometric authentication or an account PIN to access these hidden conversations.
Once opened with authentication, a chat does not automatically unlock permanently. It remains designated as a locked chat until the user explicitly chooses to turn it back into a regular conversation.
While official support is still in development, some users already rely on third-party tools like the LockGPT Chrome extension to secure their data. Offered by developer F2, LockGPT provides PIN-protected ChatGPT chats and marks them as private for its 251 users. The extension, listed in the Privacy & Security category, currently holds a 4.0 score from one rating.
Solving the Temporary Chat Limitation
Currently, ChatGPT offers Temporary Chats for privacy, but these conversations are not saved to the user's history. That is Temporary Chats’ biggest drawback: users cannot come back to these conversations in the future.
Locked chats solve this drawback by saving the conversation securely while keeping it out of immediate view. OpenAI appears concerned about the possibility of users confusing Temporary Chats and locked chats. If and when this goes live, planned onboarding material will clearly lay out the distinction between the two.
More importantly, locked chats create a separate privacy boundary for ChatGPT's Memory feature. If the AI creates a new memory from a locked chat, that data will not carry over to regular, unlocked conversations. The new memory will only ever be used to personalize other locked conversations, acting as a sandbox for sensitive information.
Unconfirmed Release Timeline
Because this discovery stems from an APK teardown, there is no official launch date confirmed by OpenAI. While fully fleshed-out strings often suggest an imminent launch, plans based on work-in-progress code can change, and the feature may not make it to a public release.
Until official support rolls out, users on desktop can access similar functionality through the LockGPT extension, which was last updated to version 1.0.1 on December 9, 2025. The 563KiB extension, available in English (United States), includes a PRO version that automatically organizes all locked conversations into a dedicated Private Chats folder.