App Lock

Winston

Do you add a lock to some of your apps, or do you consider the main phone lock sufficient?

I've, for as long as i can remember, always utilized extra biometric or pin lock for certain apps. Just recently i decided to remove them, simply for convenience; my fingerprint fails to be read quite frequently and i decided im tired of it (for now).

Im curious what you all do, and just wanted to hear your thoughts on the matter. Im also curious, does adding that extra lock provide any extra defensive layer if your phone were to be hacked? Ive always used it as just another layer for if someone were to be snooping through my phone physically, but i think in the back of my mind hoped it may provide another layer of encryption or something against hackers lol.

de0u

Winston Does adding that extra lock provide any extra defensive layer if your phone were to be hacked? Ive always used it as just another layer for if someone were to be snooping through my phone physically, but i think in the back of my mind hoped it may provide another layer of encryption or something against hackers lol.

The protection that is provided depends on how the locking mechanism works.

In GrapheneOS, secondary user profiles and also Private Spaces can be placed at rest (locked, with the encryption key forgotten). Otherwise, app locking is often a feature of one or another launcher, in which case the assurance provided may vary widely.

Murcielago

Winston

Im curious what you all do, and just wanted to hear your thoughts on the matter.

I use app lock for email or my messenging apps to mitigate the following scenario: If my phone is snatched while unlocked, I don’t want the thief to have access to private messages.

On iOS, you can lock down every app installed through the OS - I find that a very handy feature (especially since Face ID is so fast that it hardly slows you down in everyday use). If i would use an iPhone i would probably also lock down files and photos.

xyzalphabeta

Murcielago how do you activate app lock for apps that don't get shipped with it? Can't find it in general settings. Thank you

Murcielago

xyzalphabeta

how do you activate app lock for apps that don't get shipped with it? Can't find it in general settings

If the app doesn't offer that feature, unfortunately—unlike on iOS—it can't be done at the system level.

Johnnyloans

xyzalphabeta

install another launcher app (AKA home app) that has this feature then set it as the home app:
Settings > apps > default apps > home app

This isn't amazing for security or privacy because this is only useful if someone is using your unlocked phone and that person can change the home app then open your app. If they know to do that.

If you do this, set the default launcher app to unrestricted battery usage
Settings > apps > see all apps > launcher