Google is reportedly engaged on a ‘Non-public Area’ function that can add help for hiding apps securely on Android smartphones. Anticipated to reach in an upcoming model of the corporate’s cellular working system, the function is predicted to permit customers to cover apps and information from different customers safely. Samsung has supplied an analogous function — Safe Folder — for the previous six years. Google including native help with Non-public Area will enable different cellphone makers to supply the identical performance on their telephones.
Growth of the function was beforehand noticed by Mishaal Rahman on the primary beta for the upcoming Android 14 QPR2 launch, and the second beta model incorporates much more particulars concerning the function. In an Android Police report, Rahman states that the function might be noticed within the newest beta model, below the Safety & privateness possibility within the settings app.
At present in improvement, the function permits Android customers to create a brand new Android consumer profile on the cellphone that may be locked with a consumer’s biometrics or utilizing their password or PIN. Customers who’ve tried Android’s ‘Work Profile’ function is perhaps acquainted with this performance.
Notably, Android will conceal not solely the presence of those apps but in addition the contents of their notifications as soon as the profile is locked. This could come in useful if you wish to hand your cellphone over to a member of the family, whereas stopping entry to sure apps or different content material.
In line with Rahman, Google can also be creating the flexibility to indicate these apps solely when looking for the phrases “non-public area” within the search bar. This may forestall different customers from understanding whether or not you’ve got enabled the Non-public Area function within the first place.
Samsung has supplied help for a similar performance within the type of Safe Folder on its smartphones since 2017. This function additionally creates a separate profile, permitting customers to entry a separate set of contacts, information, photographs and apps in an remoted container that may be protected utilizing a password, PIN or their biometrics.
The event of the Non-public Area function, nonetheless, means that Google will finally enable smartphone makers to supply help for Samsung’s Safe Folder performance on their handsets. Rahman factors out that the function may make its approach to Android 15, including that he couldn’t allow all Non-public Area options on the newest beta as it’s nonetheless in improvement.
