How to Block Access to Your Apps on Android 15

In short, Private Space lets you define an area of ​​your smartphone that regular apps can’t access. Photos, emails, documents, and other files are specific to Private Space, as are the apps you install, which can be associated with a different Google account. All of this can be protected by a different lock code or biometric feature that you choose.

This feature is not new to some brands’ skins, with similar options available like Samsung’s Secure Folder, or Honor’s Parallel Space (formerly Private Space, just like Google’s).

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Another alternative on some Android smartphones is to simply create another user profile, but the option isn’t available on most devices. And using the new Private Space doesn’t require going back to the lock screen to log in as another account, making it more convenient, though not as secure as using different profiles.

How to use Private Space to hide your apps and data

The steps and screenshots are from the Android 15 Beta 3 test build, so they may change between now and the final release. Additionally, additional features may be removed or added between now and then.

Finally, much like the “multiple users” feature that isn’t implemented on third-party Android skins, it’s not yet clear whether Google’s Private Space will be widely available outside of Pixel phones.

That being said, let’s enable PrivateSpace on a Pixel smartphone:

1. Open the app Settings
2. Select Security and Privacy
3. Press on private space
4. Authenticate using your biometrics or PIN
5. Read the explanation and press Configure
6. Choose to use another Google account in PrivateSpace by tapping Getor use the current account by simply pressing Ignore
   1. If you choose to use a different Google Account, purchases and synced data (email, photos, notes, documents, etc.) are also hidden from the “unprotected” space, account, and user
7. Similarly, the next screen asks you whether you want to use the current screen lock or set a specific one for PrivateSpace.
8. If you choose to set up a lock for PrivateSpace, you will first need to confirm the PIN code
9. You have the choice between drawing a pattern, using a PIN code or a password
   1. This setting may be different from the one used for normal smartphone locking
   2. Additionally, you can set a different fingerprint to control access to the Private Space.
   3. The lock setting used in this step will be used to change settings or delete the Private Space later.
10. After setup, select Finished to close the wizard

By default, to use the new feature, you just have to scroll down the app drawer list. It is not yet known how this will work on smartphones without an app drawer, such as those from Xiaomi, Honor and a few others, to see the new Private Space.

Press the bar private and follow the on-screen instructions to unlock it with the settings you used (pattern, PIN, password, biometrics).

The Private Space expands to show some apps that are already set up, especially if you chose to use a different Google account. Clicking the Install option will open a Private Space-specific instance of the Play Store, with access to past purchases.

During the beta, using the most locked down options during setup, Private Space pre-installed the following apps: Camera, Chrome, People, Reactions, Files, Photos, Pixel Buds, and Play Store.

As expected, anything created or edited in Private Space is not accessible in the regular space, including photos. Even better, even screenshots from Private Space apps were only available on private apps, and could not be seen in the regular account apps.

It is currently not possible to move apps between regular space and Private Space. Long-pressing an app in unprotected space while Private Space is unlocked provides an option Install privately.

This option opens the Play Store when tapped, causing apps to be duplicated with different settings and storage (a game, for example, would require all data to be downloaded again).

The PrivateSpace settings page is barebones at the moment, with mostly the PrivateSpace lock options offered during setup. It is also possible to set whether the space is locked only when the device locks, after a 5-minute delay, or only when the device reboots (which almost defeats the purpose).

For a very slight sense of plausible deniability, you can hide the large Private Space bar at the bottom of the app drawer. But this option simply replaces the space with a quick visit to the search bar and typing “Private Space” to reveal a button. To make this option even less secure, simply typing the first two letters already displayed the button, making it less private in our opinion.

Additional Notes:

• Locking Private Space does not unlock the smartphone
• Google warns that Private Space data can be accessed if the device is connected to a computer or if malware is installed
  • However, the files in Private Space are not listed when you plug the smartphone into a computer and use the normal USB “File Transfer” connection. Even if the space is unlocked.
  • It is possible that using root/superuser/ADB access could reveal private files, but we have not been able to confirm this.
• Switching between apps in the regular space and Private Space is seamless as long as Private Space is unlocked
  • Private apps display a lock icon like in the app drawer

It is worth remembering that this is a first look at a feature that is still under development. Menus, options, and even features may change until the stable version of Android 15. This article will be updated as soon as the final version arrives.

In the meantime, feel free to discuss the current implementation in the comments below. Are you used to using Private Space? Have you tested similar features on other brands?