Samsung’s Secure Folder has been around for years, but it’s always felt like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Want to lock your messaging app? You have to clone it into a separate workspace, manage two versions, and deal with the friction of switching between them. For most people, it’s easier to just leave everything unlocked.
Google apparently noticed this problem. Leaked code from Android Canary 2601 reveals that Android 17 might introduce a native App Lock feature that handles things more elegantly—including a smart approach to notification privacy that Secure Folder never quite figured out.
Here’s where things get interesting. According to strings discovered by Android Authority, App Lock won’t just secure apps—it’ll hide notification content too. Instead of seeing “Hey, are we still on for dinner?” from your messaging app on the lock screen, you’d just see “New message.” Other apps would show “New notification” without revealing what’s inside.
This matters more than it sounds. You lock your banking app because you’re worried about privacy, then a notification pops up showing your account balance on the lock screen. The app is locked, but the notification just leaked exactly what you were trying to protect. App Lock with hidden notification content would fix this by tying notification privacy directly to which apps you’ve secured.
The implementation strikes a smart balance. Blocking notifications entirely means missing important alerts. Showing full content defeats the purpose of locking the app. This middle ground gives you awareness without exposure. The app name and icon would likely still appear, so you know which app needs attention, but the sensitive details stay hidden until you unlock it.
Secure Folder works by creating an entirely separate, encrypted space on your device. It’s great for storing truly sensitive data, but for everyday privacy needs—like preventing someone from reading your messages when you hand them your phone—it’s excessive.
The duplication problem makes it worse. Lock WhatsApp in Secure Folder and you’re managing two separate WhatsApp accounts, switching between spaces, and confusing your contacts about which version they’re talking to. Most people skip the hassle entirely.
A native App Lock would let you secure any app right where it lives. Open Instagram, enter your PIN or use your fingerprint, and you’re in. No separate workspace, no duplicate apps, no mental gymnastics.
App Lock is still in early development, and Google hasn’t officially confirmed it for Android 17. Features get tested and scrapped constantly during development cycles. Even if it ships with Android 17, Samsung users won’t see it until One UI 9 arrives in mid to late 2026—a frustratingly long wait for something that should have existed years ago.
The bigger question is execution. Privacy features only work if people actually use them, and Secure Folder has languished despite being available for years because it’s too complicated for most users. A native App Lock with sensible defaults and straightforward behavior has a better chance of becoming something people actually turn on.
If Google ships this feature as the leaks suggest, it would represent a genuine improvement in making smartphone privacy accessible to normal users, not just people willing to dig through settings menus. Whether it arrives on schedule matters less than whether they execute it well enough that people want it on their phones.
