Usually, you don’t want people poking around on your device. There are ways to stop this, including biometrics and passcodes, but Android users don’t have many privacy options once someone — whether it’s a kid, friend or thief — gets hold of their phone and gets past the lock screen.
Android 17 is potentially changing that with the introduction of a native app lock. The feature, spotted by 9to5Google, was introduced with the Android 17 QPR2 beta 3 build released late last week.
The feature, currently in testing, functions as an app lock should. You set it to lock an app, like a social media or messaging platform or photos archive. Then, anyone who wants to get into that app needs your passcode or biometrics (like face ID or a fingerprint) to access it. The app lock also disables notifications for that app and prevents any widget or shortcut from popping up on your home screen.
These functions prevent unauthorized users from snooping, making purchases, changing settings or accessing your personal data.
Android’s app lock is managed in the settings under Security & Privacy, where you can enable or disable the feature for multiple apps at once. You can also enable it for one app at a time by long-pressing the specific app icon on your home screen, or locating it in the app drawer (menu).
Google notes that “AI agents and services you’ve allowed” can still access data from the app, so if you want the app to be completely shut down, you’ll need to manually remove those permissions.
Currently, the app lock feature is available only on Pixel devices running QPR2 beta 3. Google is launching the full version of QPR2 in December, when the feature will likely be expanded to more devices — such as Samsung — assuming that it makes it to full release. Google is known for testing features and then removing them entirely or saving them for future launches. That doesn’t seem likely in this case, but it’s still possible.
Improving the security of your phone
The new built-in app lock feature would put Android on even footing with iOS, which introduced its app lock feature in iOS 18 back in 2024. It was possible to lock apps prior to this, but they required odd workarounds, such as creating an automation that triggered a screen lock when an app was opened.
Android 17 QPR2’s implementation is similar to iOS 18, where you lock an app by long-pressing its icon on your home screen, giving you the option to “require face ID” to unlock the app.
Android users have been able to use privacy-based app locks for years through third-party apps or through features implemented by individual OEMs like OnePlus. These are strong enough to keep a casual friend from prying while they borrow your phone, but lack any true security features.
Android 17’s app lock should help shore up some of those security concerns and standardize the feature across Android devices — a welcome improvement for anyone seeking to deter unwanted attention.
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