Android phone owners will be able to lock individual apps even on an already unlocked smartphone. Google has added the App Lock feature to the fresh Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3, which will require re-proof of the identity of the fingerprint, facial recognition or graphic key to launch the selected program.
The new protection will be useful in a situation where the smartphone is already unlocked and hit in the wrong hands. Usually, such a person gets access to almost all installed applications, including messengers, photos, mail and other data. App Lock allows you to put an additional barrier only on programs that the user wants to give increased protection.
Google has made the blocking as easy as possible. In Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3, it is enough to clamp the application icon and select a new item App Lock. You can also manage secure programs through system settings, where Android shows a general list of applications and allows you to enable blocking for each individual.
Once activated, Android's App Lock is not limited to identity verification when you start. The system hides the contents of the notifications of the secure application, as well as removes the program-related widgets and shortcuts. Thanks to such restrictions, some of the confidential information cannot be viewed through the main screen or notification panel.
The function has an unexpected exception. If the user has previously allowed AI agents or other services to access the application, App Lock does not withdraw such access. The protection is intended primarily for people who have physically received a smartphone, rather than to manage software permits already issued.
App Lock has only appeared in the test Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3, released on August 14. Google officially describes QPR builds as quarterly updates to the platform, which after testing come to the supported Pixel as part of Feature Drop. Therefore, owners of a stable version of Android will have to wait for a full release before the new lock becomes a mass function of the Pixel.
The new protection will be useful in a situation where the smartphone is already unlocked and hit in the wrong hands. Usually, such a person gets access to almost all installed applications, including messengers, photos, mail and other data. App Lock allows you to put an additional barrier only on programs that the user wants to give increased protection.
Google has made the blocking as easy as possible. In Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3, it is enough to clamp the application icon and select a new item App Lock. You can also manage secure programs through system settings, where Android shows a general list of applications and allows you to enable blocking for each individual.
Once activated, Android's App Lock is not limited to identity verification when you start. The system hides the contents of the notifications of the secure application, as well as removes the program-related widgets and shortcuts. Thanks to such restrictions, some of the confidential information cannot be viewed through the main screen or notification panel.
The function has an unexpected exception. If the user has previously allowed AI agents or other services to access the application, App Lock does not withdraw such access. The protection is intended primarily for people who have physically received a smartphone, rather than to manage software permits already issued.
App Lock has only appeared in the test Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3, released on August 14. Google officially describes QPR builds as quarterly updates to the platform, which after testing come to the supported Pixel as part of Feature Drop. Therefore, owners of a stable version of Android will have to wait for a full release before the new lock becomes a mass function of the Pixel.
