WhatsApp is developing new preset filters for archived chats and locked chats on iPhone. The strings were extracted from WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.22.10.70 on the TestFlight Beta Program. The feature is not yet available for testing. A third-party chat filter targeting EU users is also part of the same development. These new filters will replace static rows. The static rows currently sit at the top of the Chats tab.
What Are the WhatsApp Archived and Locked Chat Filters
WhatsApp archived and locked chat filters are new preset entries. They appear in the Chats tab filter bar. Each filter opens a dedicated view of its chat category. WhatsApp is designing these filters to sit alongside existing presets. Unread and Groups and Favorites are already in that bar. Tapping a filter shows only conversations in that category. No navigation away from the main Chats tab is needed.
The locked chat filter keeps authentication fully intact. Accessing that filter will require Face ID or Touch ID or passcode. No locked conversation becomes visible before authentication. WhatsApp is not removing the privacy protection that Chat Lock currently provides. The new filter only changes where users go to reach locked conversations.
A third filter targets third-party chats. This is a separate development tied directly to regulatory requirements. WhatsApp began complying with the EU Digital Markets Act in 2024. European users currently see a static inbox row. That row holds messages from non-WhatsApp apps connected through DMA interoperability. WhatsApp will replace that static row with a selectable entry in the shared filter bar.
How WhatsApp Archived and Locked Chats Currently Work on iPhone
Archived chats on iPhone sit in a static row. That row appears at the very top of the Chats tab. That row is always visible. Tapping it opens a separate list of all manually archived conversations. Users have no way to hide that row or move it within the current interface.
Locked chats use an entirely different mechanism. Users must swipe down on the Chats tab to reveal a hidden folder. Meta introduced Chat Lock in May 2023. It functions as a privacy feature for sensitive conversations. Opening the folder requires Face ID or Touch ID or passcode every time. A secret code option was added later. Users who set a secret code type that phrase in the search bar. This opens the locked folder without any visible swipe gesture.
The two systems operate through different gestures and different access points. One is a tappable static row. The other is a swipe-down hidden gesture. The new filter system brings both into the same filter bar. That consolidation is the core of what WhatsApp is building.
What Each New Filter Will Do
The archived chats filter removes the static top-of-tab row. WhatsApp will replace it with a tappable filter entry inside the filter bar. Users who tap the archived filter enter a view showing only archived conversations. The underlying archiving behavior does not change. Conversations archived by the user stay quiet and do not generate notifications until unarchived. Only the navigation path changes.
The locked chats filter ends the swipe-down hidden gesture. Authentication remains mandatory according to the code strings found in iOS 26.22.10.70. Face ID or Touch ID or passcode will be required before locked conversations appear. WhatsApp is making the locked section visible and discoverable while keeping its contents private.
The status of the secret code system alongside the new filter is unresolved. WhatsApp previously let users hide the locked folder. They typed a custom phrase into search to access it. Whether that access method continues after the filter ships is unconfirmed. No source has addressed this as of June 6 2026. No code strings in the 26.22.10.70 build clarify how the two systems will interact.
The third-party chats filter addresses a specific EU use case. The Digital Markets Act requires WhatsApp to allow third-party app messages in its inbox. WhatsApp must accept interoperable messages by law. European users already see those messages in a separate static row. The new filter converts that row into a standard filter tab. Users outside the EU will not see the third-party chats filter. DMA requirements do not apply to their region.
WhatsApp Chat List Management and the Bigger Picture
WhatsApp has been rebuilding its Chats tab navigation throughout 2026. Android users received a revamped chat list management system first. WhatsApp then extended that system to iPhone users. iOS version 26.21.74 brought the new chat list management to iPhone. That update introduced a secondary Filter menu. Users gained the ability to hide default filters they do not want visible. Favorites and Communities filters can be removed from the tab bar. Removing them does not delete those conversations.
iOS version 26.21.74 also added a Drafts filter. That filter shows conversations with an unsent message. Users started typing but did not send. The Drafts filter was the first new preset in this redesign cycle.
WhatsApp has over 2 billion monthly active users globally. A Chats tab with multiple sections and rows becomes cluttered fast for heavy users. Filter-based navigation reduces visual noise. Users see only the category they choose and nothing else. The archived and locked chat filters extend that approach. They pull the two most privacy-sensitive chat categories into the same navigation system.
WhatsApp is converting every major chat category into a tappable filter. Fixed interface elements are being replaced across the tab. The 26.22.10.70 build represents the next step in that progression.
WhatsApp Archived and Locked Chat Filters on Android and Desktop
Android does not have archived or locked chat preset filters at this stage of development. WhatsApp has historically tested major interface features on Android first before extending them to iPhone. This development cycle breaks that pattern. The archived and locked chat filter strings exist only in the iOS 26.22.10.70 build. No equivalent strings have surfaced in Android beta builds.
WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp for Mac have not received the 2026 Chats tab redesign features. The iOS 26.21.74 chat list management system has no confirmed desktop equivalent. WhatsApp has not announced any plan to bring filter-based chat navigation to its desktop apps. The archived and locked chat filters are absent from desktop platforms as of June 2026.
Telegram has offered a folder system for chat organization for several years. Telegram users create named folders and assign any conversation to a folder manually. WhatsApp’s filter system follows a similar organizational logic. The key difference is that WhatsApp filters apply to built-in categories only. WhatsApp is not building custom user-named folder creation in this development round.
Feature Status and Beta Version and Expected Release
WhatsApp archived and locked chat filters are in active development. The feature has not reached beta testing. No TestFlight user can access the archived or locked chat filter UI. The 26.22.10.70 build does not surface it yet. The code strings confirm the work is underway but the interface is not testable yet.
WhatsApp has not announced an official release date for these filters. Features at the code string stage move through multiple development rounds. They reach a testable beta only after that. The iOS 26.21.74 chat list management system followed that same path. It appeared in code before showing up in beta. It then reached a limited beta rollout before expanding to more users.
The third-party chat filter carries regulatory urgency beyond standard feature development. DMA interoperability requirements in Europe are expanding. A filter-based system handles growing third-party message traffic more cleanly. A static regional row cannot scale as well. That regulatory context may influence the pace at which WhatsApp finalizes this feature set.
Meta has not commented publicly on a timeline for the archived or locked chat filters. Users tracking WhatsApp beta updates on TestFlight should monitor future builds. The first testable filter UI will appear there.
Key Takeaways
WhatsApp is developing three new preset filters for iPhone. Archived chats and locked chats and third-party chats each get a dedicated filter. All three were discovered in code strings inside iOS beta version 26.22.10.70 on TestFlight. None of the filters are available for beta testing yet.
The locked chat filter requires Face ID or Touch ID or passcode. No locked conversation appears before authentication. WhatsApp first introduced Chat Lock in May 2023. Authentication is confirmed as a requirement in the new filter design.
The third-party chat filter addresses EU Digital Markets Act compliance. WhatsApp began DMA compliance in 2024. The filter gives European users a cleaner access point for interoperable third-party messages.
Android has no equivalent archived or locked chat preset filters at this stage. WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp for Mac show no development activity in this area. June 2026 builds confirm no desktop filter work.
The static archived row will be replaced by a tappable filter. The swipe-down locked chat gesture will also be replaced. Both will become standard filter entries in the Chats tab bar.
Conclusion
WhatsApp is converting its Chats tab on iPhone into a filter-based navigation experience. Static rows are giving way to tappable preset filters. These filters in iOS beta 26.22.10.70 are the next phase of that redesign. WhatsApp has been progressing through this change across multiple 2026 updates. Authentication for locked chats is preserved. The third-party chat filter adds EU DMA compliance function. The feature remains in development. No release date has been set. TestFlight users should track future iOS beta builds for the first testable filter UI.
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