How to lock apps on your Samsung Galaxy phone
Samsung Galaxy phones do not offer a simple setting to lock individual apps in place like iPhones do. Instead, owners can use Secure Folder for stronger protection or app pinning to keep someone temporarily within one app, which helps when lending a phone to a child or protecting private information.
Secure Folder, built on Samsung Knox, creates an encrypted space where apps run as separate copies with their own data and sign-ins. Set it up in Settings under Security and privacy, choose an unlock method, then add apps; the folder can also be hidden, but its apps stop running in the background and sending notifications while hidden. App pinning is quicker: enable it in security settings, open the app and pin it from Recents; leaving the pinned app requires a button combination. Pinning does not encrypt data, so it is intended for temporary use rather than protecting sensitive apps.
- Galaxy phones use Secure Folder instead of a simple app lock.
- Secure Folder encrypts separate copies of selected apps.
- App pinning temporarily keeps someone in one app.
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Many smartphone users want to prevent others from accessing specific apps, whether to protect personal information or control what children can use. Unlike some rival phones, Samsung Galaxy devices do not have a simple built-in setting to lock individual apps. Instead, Samsung owners have two different methods available to restrict app access.
The first is Secure Folder, a feature that creates an encrypted storage area where apps run as separate copies with their own data and login details. Users can customise how they unlock the folder, and they can even hide it from view, though apps in a hidden folder will not send notifications or continue running in the background.
The second method is app pinning, which works faster but offers less protection. It keeps someone within a single app temporarily, which is helpful when lending a phone to a child, but it does not encrypt the app's data. It is therefore better for temporary restrictions rather than protecting sensitive information.