Update: May 20, 2021 (7:42 a.m. ET): We were wondering if the new Locked Folders feature of Google Photos is available on your computer or is only available on your phone. Now, Android police reports that it is actually only available locally on your phone.
This is not really surprising as cloud storage / computer access would make the Locked Folder feature a lot more complicated. Even so, we’ve seen Samsung announce cloud backup functionality for its Secure Folder feature, so implementation doesn’t seem impossible.
Original article: May 18, 2021 (2:07 p.m. ET): Android phones have offered file-safe features for years, and Files by Google even offered this feature. Now, at I / O 2021, Google announced that Google Photos would offer a similar feature.
With the “Locked Folder” function, you can save selected photos in a secure folder (as the name suggests) behind a fingerprint or PIN code. Check out the GIF below to see how it works.
“These photos don’t appear when you scroll through your grid or shared albums,” Google noted in a blog post. Presumably videos can be stored here as well, but it’s a nice addition in either case. It is unclear whether photos in a locked folder on a computer can be accessed without a PIN code, or whether the locked folder is only available on your phone.
The locked folder feature will be used for Pixel first, although Google hasn’t clarified when exactly it will be available for those devices. “And Pixel even gives you the option to save photos and videos to your locked folder right from the camera,” the company added. We’re not sure how seamless this will be, but we’ve seen OEMs like BlackBerry offer the ability to tap the fingerprint scanner to take a photo and send it straight to a biometric safe.
Don’t have a Pixel phone? Then the search giant says you can expect it to arrive on other Android devices “all year round”.
