Secure a folder

[Members_m8YVTyN]

Hi, I have a Galaxy S21 and I want to secure a folder with a password or pin.  I am using Samsung Secure folder but it is a bit cumbersome.  All I want to do is when I touch a Folder I have to enter a password or pin.  Can this be done without using Secure Folder.

Regards

Paul Ingarfield

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @Members_m8YVTyN 

Secure folder is designed to put what apps you want in there.

Unfortunately there isn't a way to lock an app out of Secure folder AFAIK. 

If i can be of any further help please don't hesitate to ask  😎 

[Members_m8YVTyN]

Hi BandofBrothers, Thanks for your reply.  OK I understand.  My issue with Secure folder is that if I put an app into it then want to take it out again, I cannot except to put a shortcut onto the Home page.  Opening that shortcut opens secure folder to get at that app.  I cannot return the app to where it was.  It is a bit unforgiving.  It seems odd that security feature is not easy to do, setup and use.

[arianwen27]

Secure folder is designed to kinda give you 2 versions of android. Everything inside it is isolated. There isn't bringing an app in or out, there's only apps inside and apps outside. Think of it like a second phone within your phone, except this second phone has more security set on it.

Secure folder apps aren't just password locked, they are stored in a totally different secure way

You can transfer files between the folder and main phone though

[Members_m8YVTyN]

Hi Troubleshooter.  Thanks for your reply.  I am not sure I fully understand what you have written.  What do you mean by 'There isn't bringing an app in or out'?  I can add an app to the secure folder and remove that app from my Homepage or app pages.  (sorry if that is not the correct word).  My issue is once I have done that I cannot move that app back again.  The main thing I want to do is to secure my Google Wallet.  I am currently only using the phone's log in security to protect my credit cards and banking apps.  This seems to me a bit weak hence wanting to make a password protected folder.  I have added my Google wallet to the secure folder but found the secure folder a bit cumbersome to use so want to move my wallet out again, however the only way I have found to do that is to reinstall Google wallet.

[arianwen27]

Hopefully this makes some sense, I tried

Think of your phone as a locked box. Your apps and data live in there.

Think of Samsung secure folder as a separate locked box inside the first one but it has rules. You may transfer files between boxes but you may only download apps, not transfer them. If you download an app onto box 1, then the same app onto box 2, they will be totally separate and unaware the other exists. At any time, you can seal the second box and any app within it will no longer function unless you open it again. (You can encrypt the secure folder in a way all the apps within it kinda go to sleep and need your code to wake up again, this happens on phone reboot too. It's for if someone steals your phone and hacks into the main android, they'll have to spend even more time hacking the secure folder. If it were a simple password hiding things, they could just read the files. Since it encrypts the data, it truly is secure from attacks)

Since this second box has rules on it, it cannot access the outside box. Meaning if you install Google wallet within the second box, it isn't allowed to talk to things outside the box, such as the nfc payment service. So it wouldn't work. (Android has a system to handle payments, Google wallet connects to this system for nfc access. Since secure folder is locked down and, well, secure, apps are isolated from some system features. If you login to google within the secure folder, google believes it's a second real phone)

You're thinking of it as something you can move apps into and out of, but you're actually downloading a totally separate isolated version of the same app, then deleting it from box 1. So app data cannot move between boxes.

TLDR, you can't transfer apps, just download them twice or download them in the secure folder then delete them from the main phone. Apps like Google pay most likely won't be able to access the payment system of android so you wouldn't be able to make payments. If you're worried about someone unauthorised using your Google wallet, make sure your phone code is strong. Samsung pay requires a fingerprint each time you try to pay so maybe use that instead?

Oh and I find calling me troubleshooter funny, that's just my rank here because I've been here a while

[JAMES4578]

Options are limited outwith secure Folder, you can lock one App to the screen via the Pin option if handing phone to someone else .https://www.samsung.com/sg/support/mobile-devices/pin-an-app-to-your-phone-screen-so-that-it-cant-be...

However  instructions to unpin are on screen limiting the effectiveness. know some customers have used 3rd party apps to lock but would not necessarily recommend them.

[Members_m8YVTyN]

Hi Arianwen27,  Whilst I have been on Samsung forum for a couple of years I rarely need to use the facility so do not know what the nuances of names and ranks are so my apologies for anything wrong that I have said.  Thank you for the explanation.  It makes a little more sense now.  It does seem odd though that something as important as my wallet cannot be better protected.  Ah well just have to be careful I guess.  Thanks again for your help.

[Members_m8YVTyN]

Hi James4578, Thanks for your response.  As I said to Arianwen27, it seems strange that there is no better way to secure my wallet that the basic phone security.

[arianwen27]

You're good dw, just the first time someone had called me that so I found it quite funny.

For the wallet thing, the protection is your phone code itself. That should be enough according to google. Samsung pay (the samsung version of Google wallet) has extra protection in terms of fingerprint checks every time you try to pay. So maybe give that a try