SAMSUNG is plotting a clever trick to help smartphone users keep nosy friends and family out of their apps.
And some onlookers believe Apple’s recent iOS 18 announcement may have spurred on the new feature.
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Samsung’s Android devices already have a load of privacy protecting features such as the secure folder to keep sensitive files and apps out of view.
But a new way could be on the horizon at some point in the future, according to software geeks who have delved under the hood of the Samsung system.
Self-styled “Android techie” Tarun Vats shared a screenshot for an app lock option that looks to be in development.
Fans now believe that it could be a fresh feature due to land in the next version of Samsung’s Android operation system, One UI.
“One UI 7 might bring App Lock, letting you lock down any app you want!” Tarun wrote on X.
“It’s about time,” one user reacted.
But others were quick to point out that Apple has just announced its own app lock feature.
During a recent major event, the iPhone maker revealed that iOS 18 will have the ability to lock and hide apps.
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The limitation with the current Samsung secure folder route is that it creates a duplicate of the app, meaning you have to delete the original one if you want it to only appear in your secure folder.
Allowing people to lock apps would be a lot simpler.
“I requested them so many times & now after iOS they will be adding this,” one Samsung owner wrote.
“They are copycats…”
As with any early software leaks it is still in development, so Samsung may ultimately decide not to launch the feature fully.
We will have to wait and see when One UI 7 launches later this year.
If last year is anything to go by, it’ll be in October.
For the time being, Samsung is all focused on its big Galaxy Unpacked event on July 10 in Paris.
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The company teased: “The next frontier of Galaxy AI is coming. Prepare to discover the power of Galaxy AI, now infused into the latest Galaxy Z series and the entire Galaxy ecosystem.
“Get ready for a world of possibilities as we enter a new phase of mobile AI.”
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