Over the past week, we've seen Samsung release two of its system apps as standalone apps on the Google Play Store. First, it was the Always On Display app and then the Device Maintenance app. Samsung has now released Secure Folder as a standalone app on the Play Store.
Samsung is doing this with good reason. Having unbundled apps enables the company to release updates and new features to these apps without having to wait until it is due to release a software update for a compatible device.
The Secure Folder was first introduced with the Galaxy Note 7 last year. It relies on Samsung Knox to create a private, encrypted space on the device. All apps and data stored in Secure Folder is sandboxed separately so that it's protected behind an additional layer of security.
Since the idea is to provide maximum on-device security for sensitive content, the compatible device will automatically lock up the Secure Folder if it detects rooting or custom ROMs. If that happens, users will not be able to access the contents within Secure Folder.
Samsung's Secure Folder app is now available as a free download for compatible devices from the Google Play Store. You can also download it from our APK page.
Thanks, Henk!
