How to lock apps on your Android phone to prevent unauthorized access

Smartphones are a big part of our lives today, and the best smartphones serve as more than just phones. They hold memories like photos and videos, and also protect other important things such as passwords and confidential apps. Many of us have banking apps or investing apps on our phones, and allowing the wrong person access to those apps could be detrimental to our online security portfolio. Luckily, there are steps you can take to secure applications on the best Android phones, including locking applications individually.

Of course, smartphones typically have passcodes or biometric security measures that keep unwanted people out. But, for added security, you are also able to individually lock certain applications. Imagine if someone was to guess your passcode or somehow gain access to your phone. At least with individual apps locked, they would not be able to access your most sensitive information.

There are built-in ways to lock apps within the operating system, and there are also third-party solutions. Interestingly, Android 15 has added the ability to lock apps natively - something that was missing in the vanilla builds of Android all these years. This guide explains both ways to add extra protection, and walks through the steps for each smartphone manufacturer. Take a look at what smartphone brand you have, then skip down to the instructions tailored to that manufacturer.

How to lock apps on Google Pixel phones or other devices running Android 15

After years of user requests, Google finally decided to add app lock as a native feature to Android 15. While it doesn't necessarily work in the same way as it does with some other OEM implementations, the Android 15 app lock, dubbed Private Space, is a good way to secure your files if you have a Google Pixel smartphone or any other phone running stock Android. You won't have to download third-party apps and worry about your privacy. Here's how to use the feature.

1. Open the Settings app on your phone and navigate to Security and privacy. Under Privacy, select Private space.
   

   Android 15 settings page

   
   

   

   Security and privacy settings

   
   

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2. Tap on Set up. In the next step, you will be prompted to add a Google account. Ensure you add a different account from the one currently logged in on your phone.
   

   Set up private space

   
   

   

   Set up Google account

   
   

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   You can also create a new Google account just to use inside the Private Space.

3. The next step involves choosing whether you want to use your existing passcode to lock your apps or create a new one. Select any option of your choice. Tap on Done to finish.
   

   Set screen lock for private space

   
   

   

   Private space created

   
   

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4. Swipe up on your home screen to bring up the app drawer. Scroll all the way to the bottom until you see the new Private section. Tap on the lock symbol to unlock the folder, and then select Install.
   

   Bottom of the app drawer

   
   

   

   Install button in private space

   
   

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5. Search for the app you want to hide and install it from the Play Store. You'll see that the app has been installed inside the Private space. Now, scroll back up to the app drawer and uninstall the original instance of the app.
   

   New app installed in private space

   
   

   

   Uninstall original app

   
   

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Repeat this process for all the apps you wish to hide. All your hidden apps will only be accessible inside the Private space. The only downside to this method is that you will have to manually set up every app all over again once you've added it to the Private space. I do wish Google had a simpler implementation that just allowed users to lock apps with an overlay.

How to lock apps using the built-in app lock on other versions of Android

Despite the native app lock offering rolling out with Android 15, several OEMs have baked their versions of an app lock feature into their custom skins. If you have a Xiaomi, Redmi, OnePlus, Huawei/Honor, Samsung, or Asus phone, you can use the built-in app lock to lock individual apps behind a fingerprint, PIN, or pattern. On most devices, this feature can be found under device security settings. Below, we have provided brand-specific instructions for enabling app lock on some of the most popular smartphones.

Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO

1. Go to Settings.

2. Scroll down and tap Apps.

3. Tap App lock and then click Turn on.

4. Add your Mi Account.

5. Set up a PIN, password, or pattern for apps you want to lock.

OnePlus

1. Go to Settings.

2. Scroll down and select Security & privacy.

3. Tap App Lock.

4. Set a privacy password, if you haven't already.

5. Flip the toggle beside App Lock.

6. Flip the toggle beside each app you want to lock.

7. Confirm whether you want to use biometrics to unlock the app.

Samsung

On Samsung devices, you can use Secure Folder to store your apps, media, and other files securely. The feature uses the Samsung Knox security platform to encrypt stored data.

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap Biometrics and security.

3. Tap Secure Folder.

4. Sign in using your Samsung Account.

5. Grant the permissions requested by the Secure Folder.

6. Choose the lock method of your choice and tap Next — you can use a fingerprint, PIN, pattern, or password.

7. A shortcut to the Secure Folder will be added to your home screen and app drawer.

Asus

On Asus phones, the app lock feature is part of the default home screen launcher. Here’s how to access it.

1. Tap and hold the home screen to bring up the customization options.

2. From the bottom corner, select Preferences.

3. Tap AppLock.

4. Set up the unlock method of your choice — available options include pattern, PIN, fingerprint, and face unlock.

5. Set up a password recovery method or hit Skip.

6. On the next screen, select which apps you want to lock.

Huawei / Honor

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Scroll down and tap Security.

3. Tap App Lock and hit Enable.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up a lock method and select the apps you wish to lock.

Use third-party app locks

Not all phones offer a built-in app lock feature. If you have a phone from a manufacturer that's not listed above, or one that's running an older version of Android, you may have to explore third-party app locks to get the job done. There’s no shortage of app locks on the Google Play Store, but you have to be careful when choosing one. While they may all serve the same purpose of protecting your apps, some may collect and share your data with third parties for targeted marketing purposes.

App Lock - XLock by InShot Inc. and Norton App Lock by Norton Labs are two solid options. Not only do they have an intuitive user interface and onboarding experience, but they also don’t share your data with advertisers. Here’s how to use to protect your apps and data using a third-party app lock.

1. Download App Lock by InShot Inc. from the Google Play Store.

2. Open the app and tap Start Now to get started.

3. To use the fingerprint you have already registered on your phone, click OK.

4. Set up a PIN or pattern as a fallback option.

5. On the next screen, select which apps you want to protect and then click Lock.

6. Grant the required permissions to complete the set-up, and you should be set.

Other ways to protect your smartphone data

Though protecting your individual applications can be useful, it's good to remember the other ways to keep your data safe. Make sure you have a strong device passcode, and it's best to use different strong passwords for each app or service you use. To keep track of all those passwords, you can use one of the best password managers so that you only have to remember one.