Inspired by Samsung’s Secure Folder, Google working on Private Space for Android

Many users love the Secure Folder feature on Samsung’s smartphones and tablets. A similar feature is currently unavailable on Apple’s or Google’s devices, but Google is working on it, and it could come to Android smartphones in the future. The company is beta-testing the Private Space feature for Android smartphones, and it could come with Android 15.

Google could bring Private Space to Android 15

A new report from Mishal Rahman published on Android Police reveals Google’s Private Space feature. The Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2 update includes the Private Space feature, but it is currently hidden from the eyes of beta testers. However, Mishaal managed to enable it fully, and he was able to access it from Settings » Security & Privacy » Private Space. Once the feature is set up, which requires logging into a Google account, it creates a new profile within Android that is tied to the primary profile on the phone. Private Space can be locked using a password, pattern, or PIN. Then, it can also be set to unlock using the user’s fingerprints.

Once a user logs into Private Space, they can log in to their Google account and install apps via the Play Store instance inside the profile. Apps installed in Private Space can be accessed from the bottom of the phone’s app drawer, and users can even hide those apps from appearing using their fingerprints. Google is also reportedly testing the ability to find Private Space by typing the same term in the app drawer’s search bar. Users can potentially save their private documents, images, videos, and other files inside a file manager in Private Space.

There have been several instances of Samsung bringing new features to its Android phones, and those features are then inducted natively into the next version of Android. Something similar could happen with Private Space, and Samsung could then use that native feature as a base for Secure Folder.