All images on your Android device, when put inside the Locked Folder, will be kept locally. Moreover, they will be protected behind a passcode or require biometric authentication. Google Photos Locked Folder feature was previously exclusive only to the Pixel devices. However, according to a recent report by Android Police, the Locked Folder feature is now rolling out for more Android users, especially the non-Pixel Android devices. Google announced back in October that this Locked Folder will make its way to more devices very soon, and it seems like the time has arrived. Users are seeing this option on several devices, including the likes of OPPO, OnePlus, and Samsung. It is accessible via the ‘Utilities’ section of the Google Photos app. For some, Google Photos is showing a prompt notification asking them to set up a Locked Folder and save their images. Apparently, this is not the case with everyone.
Google Photos Locked Folder feature for iOS may arrive by early next year
As of now, the Locked Feature on Google Photos is live for Android smartphones. For iOS, the feature is expected to arrive by early next year. Once the image or video is stored in the Locked Folder, it won’t show up in the Google Photos library. In fact, the locked media files won’t show up on any other Gallery app as well. Do note that not all Android smartphones have received this feature. The update is rolling out gradually. So, it may take some time before knocking on the doors of all Android smartphones. However, you can make your device ready to receive the update. First of all, you need to ensure that you have installed the latest version of the Google Photos app on your phone. After you have set up the Google Photos app, then you need to simply move your media files, which you wish to hide from the world’s eyes, into the locked folder. This can be done by tapping on the Library tab > Utilities (located at the top-right corner) > Locked Folder (located at the bottom). If this option isn’t available for you, then the feature has not arrived for your phone. Remember that the images or video files that you move to the Locked Folder will be removed from your account’s cloud storage. You need to manually back it up after taking them out of the Locked Folder.
