Locked Folder, not Archive
Google Photos offers two features that both make items disappear from the main grid, and only one is an access control. Archive is organisation; Locked Folder requires authentication.
If the goal is that someone holding your phone cannot see the item, Archive is the wrong tool regardless of how well it tidies the timeline.
Set up the screen lock first
Locked Folder derives its authority from the device screen lock, so the strength of that lock is the strength of the folder.
A four-digit PIN that other people in the household know provides exactly as much protection to the folder as it does to the phone, which is to say none against them.
Decide the backup question before moving anything
Backup behaviour for Locked Folder is a separate setting from your general Photos backup, and it has changed across versions.
Confirm what your account does before moving irreplaceable media, because a locked item that is not backed up disappears with the device.
What stays behind
- Set and verify a strong device screen lock before setup.
- Confirm Locked Folder backup behaviour explicitly.
- Move the item, then check for edited versions that did not follow.
- Look for duplicates created by editors or downloads.
- Check Trash, and any copies already shared with other people.
Two errors
- Using Archive as an access control because the item left the grid.
- Factory-resetting the phone before confirming Locked Folder backup was enabled.
A fictional example
Amara starts with a non-sensitive test: “Set a strong device screen lock before setup.” Next, Amara follows the second check: “Choose and verify Locked Folder backup behavior.” This fictional scenario demonstrates the decision process; it is not a report of product testing.
Common mistakes
- Using Archive as access control
- Factory-resetting before confirming backup
What this workflow does not change
- Using Archive as access control
- Factory-resetting before confirming backup
Questions people ask
Can Locked Folder use a different password?
Google's current Android documentation says it uses the device screen lock.