Android Private space: how to set it up and use it
Android's own locked area for apps, step by step.
On Android 15 or later, open Settings, then Security & privacy, then Private space. Pick a Google account and a lock, then install apps into the space. Turn on hiding and the space vanishes from the app list until you search for it. It's built for apps, so moving existing photos and files into it takes a few extra steps.
What it is
Private space is a separate, locked area for apps, built into Android from version 15. Apps inside it have their own storage and their own data. When the space is locked, those apps stop running, their notifications disappear and they drop out of the app list and recent apps. It's on Pixel phones and many others. Samsung phones use Secure Folder instead.
Setting it up
- Open Settings, then Security & privacy, then Private space.
- Unlock with your screen lock and follow the setup.
- Choose a Google account for the space. A separate account keeps its Play Store downloads, photos and backups apart from your main one.
- Choose a lock. It can use your screen lock or have its own, which is better if anyone else knows your PIN.
It only works for the phone's main user, and not on work-managed phones.
Hiding it
In the space's settings, turn on the option to hide it when it's locked. The space then disappears from the bottom of the app list. To find it again, type "private space" into the app search and unlock it.
Adding apps and files
Open the space and use its own install button to add apps from the Play Store. Apps you install there are separate copies, even if the same app is installed outside.
Getting existing photos and files in is clumsier. The usual way is to share them from the normal side to an app inside the space, then delete the originals yourself so a copy isn't left in your gallery. Newer Android versions add a way to move files in from the Files app, so check whether yours has it.
Where it falls short for photos
Private space is great for keeping an app out of sight, like a second messaging app or a dating app. For a folder of private photos or documents it's more work than it needs to be, and anything you share in has to be cleaned up on the normal side. If photos and files are what you want to protect, a vault is simpler. Our Dobr vs Private space page compares the two.
Deleting the space
Deleting Private space deletes every app and file inside it. If you set it up with a separate Google account, anything those apps backed up to that account is still there, but the space itself is gone.
Last checked 2026-11-04. Phone menus change between Android versions and brands, so labels on your phone may differ slightly.