right here's the way to cease pals searching via your deepest information

Robert Zak 2015-03-19T00:00:01Z4 days in the past Robert Zak A tech aficionado since he first picked up a NES controller, Robert has written about technology, videogames, and movie across a number sites and magazines, including Den of Geek, Gamasutra, and Computeractive. At AndroidPIT, he'll be bringing you the latest Android news and reports from the front line in the UK.

we have all had that coronary heart-stopping second where we casually let a pal (or group of them) cling our phone to reveal them whatever thing, then recognise that they are simply a few swipes away from seeing data and folders we definitely don't need them to look (we will allow you to make a decision what these things could be). right here, we demonstrate you a way to retain your cell deepest, lock apps, and conceal folders when it's in somebody else fingers. 

right here's how to maintain you phone private it, even in someone elses hands. / © ANDROIDPIT 'Pin' a selected app to the reveal

if you are handing your cell round a roomful of friends, or strangers, or - worst of all - little ones, you then generally handiest desire them to entry the app that you just want to reveal them. since the Android Lollipop update, that you could 'pin' apps to the display, which means that whoever's the use of your mobile can most effective use one app, unless you decide otherwise. here's the way to do it:

enable 'screen pinning' through going to Settings > security > monitor pinning then switching it on.

Navigate to the app you wish to lock your device to.

tap the recent Apps button, then tap the green pin icon that looks in your app's card.

tap delivery, or or tick the 'Ask for PIN earlier than unpinning' container if you are tremendous-cautious.

you are all set! To unpin the app, hang the back and up to date Apps buttons at the same time (and enter your PIN if required).

Android Lollipop's new 'pin monitor' characteristic locks people to handiest use one app, except you decide otherwise. / © ANDROIDPIT 'Pin' a particular image to the reveal

in case you let your pals look through your pictures, then you may well be just a single swipe left or correct faraway from a lifetime of embarrassment because the happen upon a photo not supposed for his or her eyes. picture Pinner is a grossly below-appreciated app which permits you to follow Lollipop's 'Pin' function (see previous tip) to someone photograph. when you've downloaded the app, it is still hidden away in the 'Share' menu of your pictures. to use it:

once you've put in image Pinner, go to the photograph you wish to display your friends, then Share > photograph Pinner.

tap the green pin icon, then beginning to pin the screen to that one image.

image Pinner appears within the 'Share' menu, and locks the display to cease people a couple of image. / © ANDROIDPIT conceal photo albums the usage of your default Gallery app

The easiest - if no longer exactly the most bulletproof - means of hiding pictures for your cell is to make use of the primary 'disguise albums' feature for your Gallery app. the place you discover this function varies between devices, but listed here are examples of the way to do it on contemporary HTC and Samsung instruments.

For TouchWiz (Galaxy S5, Galaxy note 4)

Gallery >Albums > select album > lengthy-tap the album > Menu button > conceal objects

For experience UI (HTC One M7, HTC One M8) 

Gallery > Settings (three-dot icon) > display/cover albums > untick the box for the album you are looking to conceal

Most Android telephones allow you to disguise albums within the Gallery. here's me doing it on my HTC One M8. / © ANDROIDPIT Make complete folders invisible in your phone

if you wish to give you pictures, info, or anything that additional level of safety, you can make entire folders invisible to apps - and individuals - with this elementary trick. First, down load solid Explorer - a magnificent file manager app that lets you create your own data.

Open strong Explorer, then navigate to and open the folder you are looking to disguise (or create a brand new one).

within the folder, tap New on the backside left, then File.

name the file .nomedia and tap adequate. this can tell all apps in your equipment (apart from your file manager) to ignore the folder - hiding it across your entire gadget.

If the folder continues to be turning up (i.e. in Gallery), then close the app by which or not it's appearing and clear its cache (Settings > Apps). alternatively, rename the folder in strong Explorer (lengthy-tap the folder, then tap Rename).

Create a '.nomedia' file in the folder that you just wish to disguise from other apps on your cellphone, and from americans. / © ANDROIDPIT

i'm hoping you preferred our guidance for the way to preserve your cellphone inner most while somebody else is using it. let us know in the comments when you've got any other ideas.

 previous Moto G (2014) battery suggestions for superior battery existence  next Microsoft is checking out a home windows 10 ROM that can wipe Android from phones

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