Google Photos’ feature that hides private photos from main gallery coming soon For Android sevices

Nobody likes it when their friends or family members browse through their phone and check on their private photos and videos. People usually tend to hide their private photos and Google Photos’ upcoming new feature will help user achieve that.

Google Photos will soon let users hide their private images and videos from appearing in the main gallery with a new feature called ‘Locked Folder’.

As per reports, Google will let you password-protect your sensitive images. The new feature will also allow you to use biometric security to protect your private pictures and videos. Prior to this, Google rolled out a similar feature for the Pixel phones initially at the time of the phone’s launch in June.

Now, Google wants to make the feature available to all Android devices running Android 6 and newer. Google hasn’t revealed the exact date for when the feature will be rolled out more widely for Android users yet. But the search engine giant has confirmed that the Locked Folder in Photos is set to arrive on all Android devices soon.

“You can save sensitive photos and videos to a folder protected by your device screen lock in the Google Photos app. Items in Locked Folder won’t appear in the Photos grid, memories, search or albums and won’t be available to other apps on your device that have access to your photos and videos,” Google Page about Locked Folder feature reads.

Once it is live, users will be able to set up this folder after they receive a notification from Google Photos. Google Photos Locked Folder hides selected pictures/videos from the application’s main grid, search, and “apps that access your device photos.

Additionally, these photos will not be backed up or shared and require a device screen lock to access. Even users will not be allowed to take screenshots when they are inside a secure space.

According to reports, people who know your device screen lock can unlock the Locked Folder. You should note that, the Locked folder is not similar to the Archive option as you already know that Archived photos and videos still show up when you search in Google Photos where as photos and videos in the Google Photos Locked folder will not apprear in search.

Your private photos and videos in the Locked Folder stays hidden and protected by your device screen lock. You can take the photos and videos out whenever you want or permanently delete them.

You should note that photos and videos that you move to Locked Folder are removed from your gallery and photo print orders. You will also be unable to see them Google smart displays like Nest Hub or through Chromecast. The media files may take up to an hour to disappear.

Google also said that users can not transfer Locked Folder items using a USB-USB device transfer and aren’t kept when the factory reset the device or app data is cleared.

One can set up a Locked Folder by going to Library > Utilities > Locked Folder in the Google Photos app.