Google's app, Files by Google, is an app for Android users that enables them to manage files and free up space on their phones in an easy way. The app is now being updated with a new feature, PIN-Protected Safe Folder.
The feature will let users set up a 4-digit PIN that will allow them to store any of their sensitive files in an encrypted folder. If meanwhile, users switch to another app, the folder will be locked and its contents will be only accessible through the Files by Google app.
The primary purpose of the new feature is to help people that share Android devices, so they can protect important files such as identity documents in Safe Folders. It will prevent accidental deletion or sharing of documents and will also let users keep any of their "sensitive'' photos private and secure.
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Once users transfer a file into the Safe Folder, the file will disappear from all other file browsers and apps. This means that users should be careful as to not uninstall or delete the Files by Google app or they will completely lose their private files. Similarly, users should also be careful as to not forget their authentication PIN.
Microsoft also has a similar feature in OneDrive called Personal Vault, which additionally has biometric security. While Microsoft lets users protect documents in the cloud with this feature, Files by Google's feature to secure documents is only on-device.
The Safe Folder feature by Google is rolling out today and is going to be a part of the version 1.0.323 of the Files by Google app, which now has over 150 million monthly active users, according to Google.
