OpenAI Lets ChatGPT Users Lock Private Chats With PIN or Face ID

OpenAI began rolling out a feature on Tuesday that lets ChatGPT users lock individual conversations behind a four-digit PIN or, on supported devices, Face ID or Touch ID, according to TechCrunch.

Aisha Malik, a consumer news reporter at TechCrunch, reported that the tool is distinct from ChatGPT's existing Temporary Chats, which spin up a session that never appears in chat history at all. Locked Chats, by contrast, stay retrievable — a user can come back to them later, provided the right PIN or biometric is entered.

How does a locked chat work?

Once a user locks a conversation, it moves into a dedicated "Locked Chats" section, separated from regular history, pinned chats, and search results, Malik reported. If a user has Memory turned on, Locked Chats keeps its own memory pool shared only among conversations inside that section. New messages sent in a locked chat can update that isolated memory, but they do not feed into a user's regular ChatGPT memory — meaning details discussed privately will not surface later in an unlocked conversation.

What does OpenAI say the feature is for?

OpenAI told TechCrunch the feature addresses a specific, everyday scenario: someone discussing something personal, or planning a surprise, who wants to hand a phone or laptop to a friend or family member to show them something in a different app or chat without exposing the sensitive thread. As ChatGPT use for personal, non-work conversations grows, OpenAI is treating on-device screen sharing as its own privacy problem separate from account-level security.

What locking a chat does not do

OpenAI was explicit about the feature's limits, according to the TechCrunch report. Locking a chat does not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault. It does not change how long OpenAI retains the conversation, does not erase anything ChatGPT already remembered before the lock was applied, and does not alter a user's "Improve the model for everyone" training setting. Resetting a PIN, meanwhile, permanently deletes every locked chat, file, and other content tied to the old PIN — there is no recovery path described in the reporting.

Which chats can't be locked?

The option is unavailable for temporary chats, archived chats, group chats, chats opened from a shared link, chats with scheduled tasks, and chats containing meeting recordings, per TechCrunch. OpenAI also confirmed the feature will not appear in ChatGPT for Healthcare.

Who gets access, and when?

Locked Chats is rolling out across ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans starting Tuesday, though OpenAI cautioned the feature may not be live for every account immediately, Malik reported.

Users weighing how much personal detail to put into any AI chat tool — including privacy-oriented alternatives like the mindfulAI Keyboard — may want to track a few open questions.

What to watch

• Whether OpenAI adds end-to-end encryption to Locked Chats, which the company says is not currently part of the feature.
• How the PIN-reset data deletion is enforced, since OpenAI says it is permanent and irreversible.
• Whether Locked Chats expands to group chats or shared-link conversations, currently excluded.
• Rollout timing for accounts that don't see the feature immediately after Tuesday's announcement.