Google Photos 'Locked Folder' Feature for Pixel Phones Coming to iOS
Google Photos users on iPhone and iPad will soon be able to lock their most sensitive images in a special passcode-protected folder, thanks to a new feature coming to the iOS app (via The Verge).
Currently exclusive to Pixel phones, the privacy-oriented Locked Folder feature allows users to save photos and videos in the app within a separate space that requires a passcode or fingerprint 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. Google says the feature is coming to iOS "early next year."
Importantly, at least as it currently works on Pixel Phones, any cloud backups of items placed in the Locked Folder are automatically deleted from Google's servers.
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, last year 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."
Apple still doesn't offer an equivalent feature is its native Photos app for iOS. It does include an option to hide certain photos from the main library in a "Hidden" folder which can be literally hidden in the Photos app, but even so, the album can still be seen when the image picker is used in third-party apps, so it's not completely invisible from prying eyes.
Popular Stories
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
Below, we outline which U.S. states and territories offer the feature, and additional states that have committed to rolling it out in...
iOS 18.3 is currently in beta for developers and public beta testers. So far, the upcoming iPhone software update is very minor in scope.
Below, we outline what is new in iOS 18.3 so far.
The only potential new feature coming to iPhones with iOS 18.3 so far is robot vacuum support in the Home app, but this functionality is not yet live. Apple is laying the groundwork for the feature,...
Apple is widely rumored to be planning an ultra-thin iPhone 17 model for release later this year, and a new report offers a few purported details.
South Korea's Sisa Journal today reported that Apple is aiming for the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" to be 6.25mm thick. If that measurement ends up being accurate, the device would become the thinnest iPhone ever, topping the current 6.9mm record set ...
One of Apple's first product announcements of 2025 will likely be updated 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models with the M4 chip.
Below, we recap rumors about the next MacBook Air models.
New Features
Expected
The new MacBook Air models are expected to be equipped with Apple's already-released M4 chip, which has a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU.
Apple already updated the MacBook...
Apple today released iOS 18.2.1 and iPadOS 18.2.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems. iOS 18.2.1 and iPadOS 18.2.1 come almost a month after Apple released iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
According to Apple's release notes, iOS 18.2.1...
Apple started making Siri more capable with Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2, but there are additional Siri updates that are set to come in 2025 with iOS 18 and iOS 19. By this time next year, Siri should be much smarter, if Apple's planned changes live up to what the company says is coming.
Features Coming in iOS 18
The best new Siri features haven't been added yet,...
The design of this year's next-generation iPhone 17 will allegedly feature a smoother transition between the edges of the device and the back cover, owing to Apple's use of a new glass-and-metal splicing material process. That's according to the Weibo-based leaker Fixed Focus Digital.
In a post on Monday, the Chinese leaker claimed that suppliers say the iPhone 17 is adopting a "process...
Apple refreshed the Mac mini back in November, adding M4 chips and increasing the base memory. We did a hands-on impressions video at the time, but we thought we'd follow that up with a more in-depth review now that we've had more time to spend with Apple's cheapest desktop machine.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Priced starting at $599, the Mac mini offers the...
