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The Google Photos “Locked Folder” has just begun rolling out to your account. It can be found right above the “Trash” icon in the Google Photos app and lets you store images securely behind a password and 2-Step Verification (2FA).
These items won’t appear in the main Photos feed, even though copies, edited versions and shared photos saved by others will still exist there. It’s a great way to stow away a few images that may be more personal and keep prying eyes away.
If you have multiple devices, you can pick and choose where to activate your locked folder too. Turning it off on one device? The earlier photos stay put, but the new ones won’t make the jump. You’ll notice a cloud icon in the corner when this happens.
To check this out for yourself on both Android and iOS or the web, (assuming it’s rolled out to you as the update is staged), visit photos.google.com/lockedfolder or find the icon in the side rail of the app. I can’t even begin to understand why anyone would use a Locked Folder, but you’ll have to tell me in the comments.
Do you record your screen for Google Photos tutorials or something and need to hide family photos? Wouldn’t you just use a different account at that point? Perhaps you’d store away medical photos or something? I don’t know, but let’s discuss.
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