Google Photos for iOS Gets 'Locked Folder' for Sensitive Snaps

[MacRumors]

Google Photos users on iPhone can now lock their most sensitive images and videos in a special passcode-protected folder, thanks to a new feature rolling out to the iOS app.

Previously only available on Android phones, the privacy-oriented Locked Folder feature allows users to save photos and videos in the app within a separate space that requires Touch ID, Face ID, or a passcode to access.

Media saved in the folder remains hidden, meaning the sensitive photos don't show up as users scroll through their Google Photos or any other apps on their device.

Speaking to The Verge, Google said that Locked Folder content backed up to the cloud is done so securely. “We protect this data with multiple layers of security, including leading encryption technology like HTTPS and encryption at rest,” said a Google spokesperson.

Regardless, users aren't compelled to use the new backup feature if they don't want sensitive content on Google servers, and can opt to store photos in the Locked Folder on their device instead.

Google touts its photo and video backup service as "a safe home for life's memories," thanks to the "world-class security" and encryption it uses "to protect the photos that you back up or share."

Despite those safeguards, in 2020 Google was forced to contact some 100,000 users to inform them that some of their private videos backed up on its servers had been accidentally sent to strangers due to a "technical issue."

As part of the rollout, the settings screen in the Google Photos app is also being updated for easier access to privacy, sharing, backup, notifications, and other options.

Article Link: Google Photos for iOS Gets 'Locked Folder' for Sensitive Snaps

 

[M@riusz]

Great, but an apple tv app would be more useful.

 

[JippaLippa]

You trust google (or Apple, for that matter) with "sensitive" pics?!
Good luck!

 

[Mac mini power user]

We all know what kind of memories will go into this folder. Still, it's a nice feature.

 

[fatTribble]

Glad to see google concerned about privacy 🫣

 

[M@riusz]

You trust google (or Apple, for that matter) with "sensitive" pics?!
Good luck!

@JippaLippa, great - it was sarcastic. I don't trust apple and google but I use this. I don't take pictures of situations that could hurt ;-), and the private folder makes things easier for people who might be looking for something on my hard drive.

 

[B4U]

Google and the idea of privacy?
I needed the good laugh in the early morning. Thanks! 🤣

 

[SoldOnApple]

For all the really dank memes.

 

[0339327]

You know what’s the best way to not have your “personal” pictures hacked? Never take them in the first place.

 

[tcgjeukens]

In the digital world there is no such thing as 'delete'. If you don't want something to be known or (accidentally) shared, then don't entrust it to any digital device.

 

[MGrayson3]

I love the idea of saving Google the time and effort of finding the pics I most don't want them to see. Might as well call the folder "Look in here first".

 

[roncron]

Gmail users enjoy customized ads for products and services that fit their lifestyle, as determined by the algorithms used by Google and the companies they sell your information to after analyzing your emails and browser history.

Amd now, thanks to this new feature, they’ll also get customized ads for lubes, vibrators, and other intimate products based on the algorithmic analysis of their “private” photos. It’ll be less intrusive than having a marketing company in your bedroom.

Hard pass. (pun intended)

 

[ProfessionalFan]

I love the idea of saving Google the time and effort of finding the pics I most don't want them to see. Might as well call the folder "Look in here first".

Do you really believe Google cares to look at your photos?

 

[Will Co]

Do you really believe Google cares to look at your photos?

I don't believe that they won't

 

[cocky jeremy]

You know what’s the best way to not have your “personal” pictures hacked? Never take them in the first place.

What's the fun in that?!

 

[MacLawyer]

Good time to remind your loved ones not to take "undressed" pictures of themselves.

 

[Syk]

iOS just needs the ability to set PW separate from Face/TouchID.

 

[0339327]

What's the fun in that?!

I'm married. Happily.*

'nough said.


*My wife did not make me post this. She is not looking over my shoulder. I am at the office. She doesn't even read Mac Rumors. This is a bit funny because all this is true and yet, you're still not going to believe it.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

This only has value for someone that wants to give their phone to someone else knowing “they can’t see any pictures I don’t want them to see”. Not fully understanding that the first step to any total exploit of a phone is physical contact. This shouldn’t make anyone comfortable about handing their unlocked phone to another person, friend or stranger.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Do you really believe Google cares to look at your photos?

Legally they have to, at LEAST to the point where they can attest to any authorities that they are not hosting any illegal content. New regulations make them responsible for reporting content they host even if a user placed them there.

 

[DFZD]

I would never put anything remotely sensitive on my Google Phone.
Not because I don’t trust Google but because its my work phone and admin has access to everything I do.

 

[newyorksole]

You know what’s the best way to not have your “personal” pictures hacked? Never take them in the first place.

I just believe in no face no case. any explicit photos I have sent or save to Google or wherever never have my face in it.

it could be anyone’s body! anything else, I’m not worried about leaking.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I just believe in no face no case. any explicit photos I have sent or save to Google or wherever never have my face in it.

it could be anyone’s body! anything else, I’m not worried about leaking.

My SO is a criminal defense attorney, and can assure you that "no face, no case" is not correct. She has worked with that issue specifically and I got daily updates about it. Bodies have plenty of identifying features other than the face, enough to convict anyway, and I'm sure more than enough for an algorithm to connect body features to a face.

Best bet is just to never take said photos at all, under any circumstances...but you do you!! If all that is okay, enjoy and don't worry about Google's algorithms. They aren't a person.

 

[jz0309]

Do you really believe Google cares to look at your photos?

You bet they do… welcome to the world of “AI”

 

[xraydoc]

I'm married. Happily.*

'nough said.


*My wife did not make me post this. She is not looking over my shoulder. I am at the office. She doesn't even read Mac Rumors. This is a bit funny because all this is true and yet, you're still not going to believe it.

Plenty of married people take photos of this nature, too. I don't think it means they're plastering them all over the internet or OnlyFans or whatnot.
Given how people like to use their cameras these days, I think it's completely appropriate that Apple and Google have restricted and encrypted folders to keep things away from those who should not see them.