The Google Photos folder is locked: What is it and how do you use it?

Google’s photo has been featured a newly locked folder, which is very in accordance with the theme of the strong privacy of the Google IO 2021 developer conference.

The locked folder idea is quite simple: this is a password protected place where you can save photos separately, so they don’t appear on your Google photo feed (or other application on your mobile) when you scroll them.

But because Google doesn’t expand too much on the locked folder specifications, we have collected this guide to explain how it works and how you can start using it. The first thing to note is that initially only available on Google Pixels, from Google Pixel 3 and so on, and will be released for the cellphone ‘in the coming weeks’.

Google says that it will come to ‘more android devices throughout the year’, without mentioning iPhone users – for now, they must use the iOS 14 hidden album feature instead.

So what actually happens to the photo you saved in a locked folder and how can you file a photo there? Here all you need to know about new Google Photos features.

Backup Google Photos: How to reserve your locked to and from Google photo services

Most Google users will experience a little discovered to submit their phone to let someone scroll your photo feed – after all, our smartphone’s camera roll is a 360 degree life feed than the holiday album.

Features Folder Locked New Google Photos is here to help resolve the problem. This is a private space that is effectively protected by your mobile screen lock – whether it’s your passcode or fingerprint.

But Google’s photo already has an archive feature, so what’s the difference? The main thing is archived with a movie or video in Google’s photo will still appear when you search in Google photos, while the locked folder makes them hidden under the lock of your mobile screen.

After you save something in a locked folder, it won’t appear on the Google Photos Grid, Memories, Search or album. Most importantly, it also won’t be available for other applications on your mobile.

The disadvantage of using a folder that is locked by Google’s photo is that you cannot back up the image or video contained.

In the list of things you cannot do with files in a locked folder, Google includes “backup items”, along with editing it, share it, add it to the album or photo book, and share it on social media to Like Facebook and Instagram.

If you move the existing photos or videos into the locked folder, Google says that “the cloud reserve of these items will be deleted”. Even though this makes sense from the privacy perspective, it means you have to accept it doesn’t have a copy of the image or video supported in Google’s photo (unless you make it yourself).

After you move photos or videos to locked folders, they will be deleted automatically from your existing memory or photo printing order. Google says that they will not be displayed on Google Smart Display like Google Nest Hub, although it is unclear what the situation is with a third party look.

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