Last updated: August 15th, 2026 at 01:57 UTC+02:00
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It will use your phone's screen unlock method.
Reading time: 2 minutes
Abhijeet Mishra / SamMobile
While Samsung phones offer an excellent way to secure your apps and media using Secure Folder, they lack a simple option to lock an app or game that you want to keep private. It was expected to arrive with One UI 7.0 and then with One UI 9.0, but that never happened. Now, it appears the feature could arrive with One UI 9.5.
Tipster Fahad Ali Javed, who found a One UI 9.5-based firmware on their Galaxy S26, has recently discovered that Samsung has developed the App Lock feature. You can access it by pressing and holding an app or game icon and tapping the lock-shaped icon in the top right corner of the menu. Any app or game can be locked directly from the home screen or the app drawer of a phone running One UI 9.5.
Fahad Ali Javed / X
App Lock feature in One UI 9.5
Because the upcoming App Lock feature uses your phone's existing screen unlocking mechanism, you do not need to remember an additional password or PIN to open a locked app or game. Unlocking them is exactly the same as unlocking your phone.
One UI 9.5 is based on Android 17 and is expected to become official with the launch of the Galaxy S27 series early next year. It could then arrive for older eligible devices like the Galaxy S26 series, Galaxy Z Flip 8, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series followed by even older and lower-end devices.
First Samsung device: T100
Asif is a computer engineer turned technology journalist. He has been using Samsung phones since 2004, and his current smartphone is the Galaxy S23 Ultra. He loves headphones, mechanical keyboards, and PC hardware. When not writing about technology, he likes watching crime and science fiction movies and TV shows.
