Summary
- Google Photos now allows users to back up and access the media stored in the Locked Folder feature from any device, including iOS and the web.
- If Locked Folder is enabled, Google Photos should automatically prompt you to enable cloud backup for the feature whenever it becomes available to your account.
- Google Photos is also rolling out a redesigned settings menu that includes sub-menus for the various options, making it easier to navigate and customize your settings.
Google’s Locked Folder feature is a great way to hide images that you don’t want anyone to see in your Google Photos app. It password protects any photos you add, whether that’s a picture of your driver’s license, video of a gift you’re hoping to buy, or anything else you want to keep from prying eyes. The only trouble is that media in the Locked Folder is stored entirely locally in an app that many users choose for its seamless cloud backup. That’s officially changing today.
After we first spotted the feature in development in February, then got a closer look just last week, Google has made things official with a an announcement post for Locked Folder’s cloud storage feature. Starting today, you can back up your Locked Folder and access those photos and videos from any device with your passcode — you can even set up and access Locked Folder on iOS and the web.
Before you can back up your private media, make sure to set up the Locked Folder feature by heading to the Library tab in Google Photos and selecting Utilities, then Locked Folder. Once you’ve done that, you can head to the main Photos tab in Google Photos and you should be prompted to enable cloud backup. If you enable backup for Locked Folder, you will be able to access that content across your devices when signing in to Google Photos and opening the Locked Folder.
You can still opt to only store content on your device in Locked Folder if you do not want to use the backup capabilities. Additionally, the photos and videos you save in your Locked Folder will not be visible anywhere else in the app, regardless of whether cloud backup is enabled. They won’t appear in the photo grid, albums, memories, or when you use the search feature of Google Photos.
Another feature we had seen previously that was formally announced today is a redesigned settings menu for the Android and iOS app. Where the old UI lumped all of Google Photos’ settings together on one page, there are now sub-menus for Backup, Notifications, Preferences, Sharing, Apps & devices, and Privacy, with all the various options organized within.
These new features are becoming available starting today, but Google hasn’t specified a timeline for when they should reach all accounts. However, past rollouts of similar features have taken a matter of weeks to go from announcement to widespread availability, so with any luck, you should see all of these changes within the next couple of weeks.
