GOOGLE will bring its locked photo folders to iOS devices next year.
The tech company’s Google Photos app rolled the Locked Folders feature on newer Google Pixel phones in June this year, which allowed users to hide sensitive photos and videos from their main library and secure them in a passcode- or biometric-protected folder.
And after promising in September that the feature would be made available on all Android devices “soon”, Google has now expanded its roll-out of the feature to include those with iPhones and other iOS devices.
In a blog post rounding up the company’s security initiatives, Google confirmed the Locked Folders feature would make an appearance on iOS in 2022, but as of the time of writing there isn’t an exact time frame for the update.
Google also hasn’t provided an exact date for when the feature will be released on Android phones, noting only that it’s “rolling out soon” for devices running Android 6 and above.
In a tweet announcing the launch of Locked Folders, Google said in May: “With Locked Folder in @googlephotos, you can add photos to a passcode protected space and they won’t show up as you scroll through Photos or other apps on your phone. Locked Folder is launching first on Google Pixel, and more Android devices throughout the year. #GoogleIO (sic)”
Users can set up a locked folder by going to Library > Utilities > Locked Folder in the Google Photos app.
Existing photos can then be manually moved into the folder, but any photos in locked folders won’t be backed up to the cloud.
Bang Showbiz