How to Lock Apps on Your Samsung Galaxy Phone

Handing your child your phone for a few minutes of play shouldn’t mean they end up three menus deep in your banking apps, emails, or text messages. It’s a common enough concern that many Galaxy owners are looking for an easy way to lock their apps, much like iPhone users can do. Well, Samsung doesn’t offer any.

On an iPhone, the fix is ​​to long press and select Require Face ID. The app will then not open without a facial or fingerprint scan. Samsung is taking a different approach to this whole situation. Instead of a single toggle, Galaxy phones split the work between two tools: Secure Folder and App Pinning. Neither is a direct copy of Apple’s version, but together they cover more ground. Ultimately, the important thing is that you can keep prying eyes away from apps they shouldn’t have access to.

Samsung has been phasing out a basic app lock option in favor of Secure Folder, a more robust system built on top of Samsung Knox, the company’s security platform. Rather than simply locking an app behind a password, Secure Folder creates an entirely separate encrypted space on the phone. Applications placed there run as isolated copies, with their own data and connections separate from the rest of the device.

This is quite the difference from how Apple does things since iOS locks an app in place, while Secure Folder essentially duplicates it in a vault. The trade-off is setup time, as Secure Folder requires a few extra steps. Given the complexity of the task, there has been quite a bit of pushback over the years, with users saying a lighter lock would meet everyday needs, like keeping kids off TikTok. For quick, temporary restrictions, Samsung offers a second option called app pinning. This one works more like an improvised version of Apple’s screen lock tools.

If you want to protect sensitive information on your phone, Secure Folder is the ideal solution. This will not only protect your data from your children, but also from thieves and curious relatives. It’s the best place to put your banking apps, messaging tools, private photos, and anything else worth encrypting. Here’s how to configure it:

1. Open Settings > Security & Privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder.

2. Log in with your Samsung account.

3. Choose a lock type: PIN, password, pattern or biometric scan.

4. Choose whether apps can still run in the background when the Secure Folder is closed.

5. Tap the plus icon in the secure folder and select the apps you want to add.

Apps moved there will be inaccessible until you unlock the secure folder using your preferred authentication method. The best part is that you can hide the folder icon on the home screen for more discretion, which you can do from the quick panel by disabling the Secure Folder app. Apps in the Secure Folder will not continue to run in the background or create notifications when the folder is hidden, so be sure to show it when you are ready to use the apps inside it. Just another extra thing to consider when personalizing your Samsung Galaxy phone.

For any situation where full encryption isn’t necessary, like letting a kid play a game without slipping into the Play Store to install a random app, app pinning gets the job done faster. So, before handing over your phone, here’s what you need to do:

1. Go to Settings > Security & Privacy > More security settings and turn on Allow app pinning.

2. Tap the Recents button (the three vertical bars at the bottom of the screen) or, if you’re using swipe gestures, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold.

3. Tap the icon above the app you want to pin and select Pin this app Or Pin to screen.

   1. To unpin the app, you need to hold down the Recents and Back buttons at the same time.

So if you let your child use your phone for a specific game, just open their game and pin the app. They will not be able to switch to another application. Pinning doesn’t encrypt anything, so it’s not the right choice for financial or private applications, but it works great as a quick, temporary lock. Truth be told, this one will work best if your kids can’t read yet, because you get on-screen instructions on how to unpin the app when you press the bottom buttons.

For sensitive applications that need real protection, Secure Folder’s Knox encryption is the strongest option, although it takes a few minutes to set up. For quick, low-stakes restrictions, like keeping a toddler in a single game, app pinning gets the job done with almost no setup.