Users of Google Photos who want to keep their photos hidden from others on their phone can utilise the app’s native Locked Folder functionality. It allows you to save your photos and movies in a password-protected area. When someone looks at your images and videos saved on Google Photos or any other app on your phone, you’ll be able to keep your media content concealed. You may also safeguard your existing photos using your device’s screen lock by moving them to the protected folder in Google Photos.
Locked Folder was first introduced in May as a feature that was only available on Google Pixel phones. Google, on the other hand, revealed in late October that the functionality will be handed out to all Android users in the near future. It will be available to iOS users in the first quarter of next year.
Pictures in the locked folder won’t show up in the Google Photos grid, recollections, search, or albums. You won’t be able to discover them in any other applications you have installed that have access to your usual images and videos.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how to set up the Locked Folder in Google Photos to hide your photos.
Before we get started with the instruction, it’s worth noting that the experience is only available on Google Pixel 3 and later models. So, if you have a suitable device, go ahead and set up the Locked Folder feature on Google Photos to hide your photos by following the instructions below. Make sure you’re using the most recent version of Google Photos on your phone.
- Open Google Photos in a new tab.
- Set up a Locked Folder by going to Library > Utilities and tapping Set up Locked Folder.
- Google Photos will now provide a screen with information on the Locked Folder feature. To continue, tap Set up Locked Folder.
- To set up the protected folder, utilise your current device’s screen lock option, which can be fingerprint unlock, pattern, alphanumeric password, or numeric PIN.
Once you’ve performed these steps and the setup is complete, you can use the Move things option to move your existing photos and movies to the secured folder. This will display all of the media content on your device.
After you’ve chosen photographs to transfer to the locked photos, you’ll be prompted with a notification stating that the objects you’ve moved will no longer be backed up or shared, and will no longer display in your Google Photos grid, search, or other applications. By pressing Move, you may continue with your pick.
It’s worth noting that the photos you keep in the protected folder won’t be backed up or shared using Google Photos. People with access to your device’s screen may also open the app’s protected folder and see the concealed media files.