You can finally protect your sensitive photos.
Locked Folder Feature Promises to Keep Sensitive Images Out of the Photo Roll
Google Photos’ Locked Folder feature is a way for you to prevent your sensitive photos from showing to the main photo roll. This feature has been available on Pixel phones. But Android Police said that non-Pixel phones will be getting this feature soon.
It’s been reported that this feature is showing up on some Samsung and OnePlus devices. Furthermore, older Pixel devices that didn’t come with this feature are getting it now.
With Locked Folder, you can select the photos or videos that you don’t want to appear on the main photo roll. You can also put a passcode and keep them off the cloud.
This feature was featured in June but only on Pixel 3 and up. It was announced in May during Google’s I/O presentation.
During the presentation, Google made an example of parents hiding photos of a newly purchased puppy for kids.
However, most Android users will probably use it to hide their NSFW photos. This will prevent other people from seeing those sensitive photos if they swipe too many pictures.
This feature is now available on phones that run Android 6 or later. You can access it on Photos. Then, go to Library and choose Utilities. This feature will also be coming to the iOS version of Google Photos next year.
Why You Need This Feature?
You might have some photos on your phone that you’re not willing to share with others. There are times that you need to hand over your photo to your boss or best friend to let him/her see your cat or dog. While your friend looks at that photo, it’s not a guarantee that he/she will stop swiping.
It’s your responsibility to protect your privacy. Make sure that your friend or your boss can’t continue swiping and checking those photos that you don’t want them to see.
The temptation can be overwhelming. With the Locked Folder feature, you can hide your photos on your Android device. Soon, you can do it on your iOS phone.
But the said feature isn’t the only way to hide your sensitive photos on your Android Phone. You can opt for the archive function and hide them. You won’t lose them. Rather, you can still access them through the Archive folder or use the search function.
Other third-party apps can hide your photos. For instance, you can use LockMyPix that guards your pictures with military-grade AES encryption. You can use a PIN, fingerprint, password, or face recognition to lock them out. These options will guarantee robust surveillance over individuals who like to enter the vault.
Although those third-party apps have a variety of options to help you hide those sensitive images on your Android device, you need to download them and install them on your phone. If you don’t want to use a third-party app, then the Locked Folder is your best bet.
But it’s important to note that if you uninstall the Photos app or clear the app data, the Locked Folder will also be deleted.
