How to Lock Apps on Android

There are many methods to keep your data hidden or secure from the prying eyes of other people. You can hide apps, transfer sensitive data to a private server, or simply add a password/lock on your preferred apps. In this article, we will discuss some ways you can add a lock to each app on your phone. Of course, the most obvious option is to add a password on your phone, but there is always more that can be done. First, let us discuss how we can lock apps using the built-in services of an Android phone. If these services are not available on your phone, don’t fret, you can always use third-party apps like AppLock. Let us see the steps involved for using the built-in app lock services on Android:

Lock apps on Android with Screen Pinning

Method for newer Android versions (9.0 and above):

1. Launch the settings app from your phone.
2. From the settings list scroll down to till you find the option of “Biometrics and security/security”, select this option.
3. From this list, you must select the option of “Other security“.
4. Next, scroll down to the option of “Advanced security“.
5. Here, you will see the option of “Pin Windows“, toggle on this option to enable screen pinning.
6. Next, you must add a password/pin to further secure this folder.
7. Somewhere at the bottom, you will find the option to ask for PIN before unpinning. Toggle on this option to set up a PIN.
8. Set up a strong password to secure your apps and their data.
9. Swipe up to reveal all the list of recent apps on your phone/ tap on the overview button (square shaped button beside the home button), select the apps you want to pin by tapping on the pin icon in the corner.
10. Tap on the option of “Open this app”.
11. Whenever you want to unpin an app, you have to press and hold the back and home button simultaneously.
12. Try unpinning the app, it should ask for your password/pin (whatever you may have set up), you will need to unpin the app to access your phone’s home screen.

Method for older Android versions (8 and below):

1. Launch the Settings app on your phone.
2. Scroll down, and tap on the option of “Lock screen/security“.
3. Again, scroll down till you find the option of “Other security settings“, and tap on it.
4. Locate and select to toggle on the option of “Screen pinning/pin windows“.
5. Just like in the previous method, we need to enable lock/password to unpin the apps.
6. Open up your recent apps by tapping on the overview button (square shaped button beside the home button).
7. Navigate to the app you want to pin and tap on the pin icon near the lower right corner of your screen.
8. When you pin an app for the first time, this system will ask you for a confirmation so, you have to tap yes/start for granting confirmation to the system.
9. When you want to unpin the app, tap and hold the home and a volume button from the bottom of your screen.
10. You will need to enter your password/pin/fingerprint when you try to unpin the app.

How to lock apps on Android with Secure Folders

This secure folder feature is one of the best ways to lock apps on your android phone, sadly though, this feature is only exclusive to Samsung‘s flagship phones like the Galaxy series. You can still try to look for it, as each smartphone brand is unique. If you are not an owner of a Samsung phone, don’t worry, we will explore other ways to lock your apps on Android with third-party apps (mentioned below). Now let us look at steps you need to take to lock apps with Samsung’s secure folder feature:

1. Unlock and launch the settings app on your phone.
2. Scroll down till you find me option of “Biometrics and security“, once you do tap on it.
3. From the presented list, select the option of “Secure folder“.
4. Once you agree to the terms and conditions of using this feature, you can set up a password/pin/any biometric available on your phone.
5. Tap on the option “Lock type” type who select your preferred way to secure your folder.
6. After you are done adding the password/pattern, tap on the next button.
7. Now go to your app drawer and look for an app named “Secure folder” and tap on it.
8. Select the apps you wish to put in you are secure folder, once you’re done tap on lock and exit.
9. Try opening a secure folder, and it should ask you for your password to access the apps locked in it.

Third Party Apps

Not all phones come with the app lock feature pre-installed in them. Here’s where third-party app lockers come in. As you might expect, there are a lot of app locks on the internet and on the Google Play Store. When you do decide to download an app lock from the internet or elsewhere, always make sure to check the reviews, this will save your time and data (maybe even your privacy!). Now we will discuss some of the popular app locks available on the Google Play Store for Android phones.

How to lock apps on Android with AppLock

1. Launch the Google Play Store on your phone.
2. Search and install AppLock (it should have an icon of an open vault with few app icons peeking out).
3. Once it is installed, launch it.
4. Right off the bat it will ask you to create your password, once you’re done setting up a password tap on okay.
5. It will also ask you to add a security email so that you can reset the password in case you forget it.
6. Once you’re done with that, in the privacy section you can scroll down and manually lock the apps you would like to secure (just tap on the lock icon beside the apps)
7. When you lock an app, the icon beside it should change from a gray lock to a green lock.
8. Now, whenever you launch these selected apps, the AppLock will ask you for your password/pattern.

How to lock apps on Android with Norton App Lock

1. Unlock your phone and launch the Google Play Store.
2. Search for Norton app lock and install it.
3. Launch the app and agree to the terms and conditions, permissions, etc.
4. Once you’re back to the app’s home screen, tap on the set-up button.
5. Now you need to go to your phone settings and scroll down to “Accessibility“.
6. From the options presented in the Accessibility list, tap on the option of “Installed services“.
7. From the list of all the installed services will see the option of Norton app lock service, you need to toggle it on and allow some permissions.
8. Go back to the app, now it will tell you to set up a pattern or password, make sure to remember your password/pattern.
9. Just in case you forget your password, set up a Google account for resetting your password. To do this, just select your preferred email from the list of all your available emails on your device.
10. On the app’s home screen you should see a yellow color icon with a yellow lock, somewhere in the upper right corner of your screen, tap on it.
11. It will ask you to choose the app which you would like to lock.
12. After you’re done selecting all the apps you want to lock, tap on done.
13. If you want to unlock your locked apps or lock other apps, simply tap the same yellow color lock icon and follow the same steps.