Learn about additional layers of security for your phone and personal device.

Losing a smartphone or tablet filled with your life's details can be a nightmare, but your privacy can also be at risk in less obvious situations — like leaving your phone unlocked unattended or children knowing your tablet's passcode.

While financial or medical apps typically require their own passwords (and Apple’s Photos and Google Photos can hide certain photos), the latest versions of iOS and Android offer new tools to protect sensitive content on your device. Here’s a quick overview.

Apple's iOS 18, released in September, includes the ability to lock apps that don't already require a passcode or FaceIo.

Use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock it.

Apple notes that siblings and similar-looking children can bypass Face ID, so use a passcode if that's a concern.

To lock an app, find it on your iPhone or iPad's Home screen (or in the App Library) and press your finger on its icon. In the pop-up menu, select Require FaceID or the security method you normally use.

Tap “Require Face ID” again when prompted. To open this app in the future, you’ll need to unlock it.

To remove the lock from an app, tap its icon and select “Doesn’t require FaceID” from the menu. And if the lock isn’t enough, you can now also hide specific apps (not just entire Home screen pages).

Google’s Android help site has a long guide to setting up and using Private Space. But to get started, go to the Settings app, tap Security & Privacy, scroll down and select Private Space.

To proceed, you'll need to unlock your device using your authentication method. Tap the Settings button to walk you through the steps to set up your private space, which includes creating (or signing in to) a separate Google account and installing apps there.

This isolates these apps from the rest of your device—and prevents this data from syncing with your main Google Account.

You must choose a method to unlock your private space (such as fingerprint recognition or PIN), which may be different from your main device lock. Keep in mind that apps stop running when your private space is locked.

Google advises that apps that use your phone's sensors to track information (such as medical data) or run in the background are not suitable for hiding in a private space.

Once you've created your private space, you can find it by scrolling down to the bottom of the All Apps screen. Tap the lock icon to open or close your private space.

If you really want to hide it, tap the gear icon and choose the option to hide Private Space when locked. To find it yourself, enter “Private Space” in the Android search bar.

Source: New York Times