Video: an ad for WhatsApp’s Chat Lock

While in an ideal world, every person would have their own device which only they have access to, in reality we often need to share devices with others. Fortunately, there are a few things that can help preserve our privacy if this happens:

  • On most devices, you can set up a user profile if you have multiple people sharing the device. You can do this on Windows, macOS, and on Android. iOS right now unfortunately does not offer this functionality.

  • Some apps similarly allow you to lock either the app or specific messages/ conversations with an additional PIN or passcode. Here's how you can turn on chat lock in WhatsApp. Other apps also allow you to lock the app so that you cannot open it without a secondary password. WhatsApp has such an app lock, as does Signal, and Telegram. Check out some of Grindr’s security settings, too!

  • In the last section, we spoke about browsers and clearing history. Clear history on mobile browsers if you're sharing the device or user account. If you clear cookies, that's also an added bonus–this will automatically log you out of all accounts you're logged into on that browser.

  • Don't share your password manager's main password with anybody.

Last modified: Wednesday, 4 February 2026, 6:16 AM