Dobr vs Android Private space
Private space hides apps. Dobr hides files. They solve different problems.
Private space, added in Android 15, is a hidden second area of your phone for apps, with its own optional lock. It's great for hiding apps, but it has no backup and restore, phone makers can switch it off, and keeping photos there means installing a gallery app inside it. Dobr is a single app for photos, videos and files that works on Android 8 and later.
| Private space | Dobr | |
|---|---|---|
| Android version | 15 or later, if your phone maker allows it | 8 or later |
| What it hides | Apps, and anything those apps store | Photos, videos and files |
| Lock | Separate lock optional | Always its own pattern |
| Backup and restore | None, per Google's documentation | None, by design |
| Decoy | No | Yes, with Unlimited |
| Price | Free | Free for one vault of 35 items, then paid |
What Private space is good at
Private space is a separate profile on your phone. Apps inside it are hidden from your launcher, stop running when it's locked and send no notifications. It's the cleanest way Android offers to hide the fact that you use a particular app.
Where it's awkward for photos
To keep photos in Private space you need a gallery or files app installed inside it, and you need to move the photos across. Google also warns that someone who connects your phone to a computer may be able to get at the Private space, and it isn't available on phones with less than about 6 GB of RAM or where the maker has disabled it.
Where Dobr fits
Dobr is a single app that does one job. Add photos, videos or documents, and they're encrypted with a key built from your pattern and your phone's security hardware. It works on older phones and on brands that don't offer Private space.
Using both
If you want to hide that you use a vault app at all, you can install Dobr inside your Private space. Then the app is hidden and the files inside it are encrypted behind a second lock.
Last checked 2026-11-01. Phone menus change between Android versions and brands, so labels on your phone may differ slightly.