Can anyone tell me why such a basic feature is so hard to find or does not come by default in phones nowadays?
Edit : I meant app lock which uses fingerprint or pattern. I want to apply it to Gallery and other apps. I already have Shelter running on my phone and also have secure folder, but that’s not what I’m for. Sorry if my question wasn’t clear.
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The correct way is work profile with separate unlock, use Shelter or Insular to activate and manage the profile, both apps are FOSS.
The other way is user profiles, GrapheneOS improves the UX of them a lot, stock Android is not really usable without reboots.
I meant app lock which uses fingerprint or pattern. I want to apply it to Gallery and other apps.
You would need file manager and gallery.
What do you mean by app lock?
If you mean an extra layer of security to run an app. There’s work profiles. Which can have in a separate unlock. So even if you’re using your phone. You still have to unlock work profile
If you mean you want to disable a app so it doesn’t run when you don’t want it to run, then you can disable apps in modern android.
I meant app lock which uses fingerprint or pattern. I want to apply it to Gallery and other apps.
Depends on your threat model. If your threat model is somebody is borrowing your phone and you don’t want them to see things. Work profiles are perfect. Just lock your phone, unlock it but don’t unlock the work profile I can’t see anything.
If you want an app that is not visible, you can disable an app in stock Android and and lineage and in graphene OS.
If your threat model is more serious, you never want the app to launch unless you unlock it specifically, then you’re going to look at multiple accounts or profiles on Android. Which is supported in the stock OS as well as all the others. That way to run the app you’ll have to manually switch profiles and go through the unlocking required for that profile
Anything else, like a custom launcher, is not real security. It could be bypassed with anybody with physical access to the phone
An option is to use the secure folder option if your phone supports it.
I.e. this is not a stock Android feature
Pretty sure it’s Samsung specific
Afaik this is a stock feature
in LineageOS’s Trebuchet Launcher,
called “Hidden & Protected apps”You can switch to LineageOS for it,
or grab only the launcher from APKMirror:
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/lineageos/trebuchet-4/Note: I’m still on Android 13,
so not fully sure if it will be available on 14,
but I don’t see why it wouldn’t.
