To protect our data and privacy on the phone, we can set a screen lock by password, PIN, pattern, or fingerprint. Sometimes however the screen lock doesn’t work. For example, your family members, friends, colleagues may need to use your phone, but you don’t want them to view some personal and important data or pictures on your phone. Today, we will share with you a free security app which can help us protect specific apps on the phone with password, PIN, pattern, or fingerprint.
Before we start the guidance, you should know that some smart phone manufacturers begin to allow users lock part of their devices as well. For example, Huawei, Xiaomi and Redmi phones support app lock natively; LG phones and iPhone allow their users to lock content, such as notes, without using third-party apps. Check out this tutorial to lock apps on Huawei mobile phone without third-party apps, just as an example. So double check your phone settings see if you can find such feature on your phone. If your phone doesn’t support app lock natively, or you don’t like it, you can then try this security below.
About Folder Lock & its App Lock feature
Folder Lock is best known as free file locker app for Android. It lets you password-protect your personal files, photos, videos, documents, contacts, wallet cards, notes and audio recordings on Android phones. Check out these steps to lock or hide private photos and videos on android phone. Many users aren’t aware of its new AppLock feature. It comes in handy when you need to lock certain apps on the phone or don’t want others to access certain apps. For example, you may not want your kids make phone calls, or answer phone calls when they are playing mobile games with your phone. Find more features or download this security app here.
How to lock individual apps on your Android phone for free?
Download and install the private data locker app on your mobile phone. When you run it for the first time, you will be asked to set a new PIN, password, pattern or use your fingerprint to lock the security app and all its protected files and apps.

There will be pop-ups asking you to grant permissions to access your files and settings on the phone, such as your media files, camera, contacts, etc. Just agree with them. After that, you will see its main screen like this.

To lock certain apps on your mobile phone, tap on AppLock, a notification will appear asking you to grant it the permission to access the usage on your phone. Follow the on-screen instructions to grant it the privilege. You will then open a list of all apps on your phone within the file and app locker app.

If you don’t want others to open certain apps on the phone, simply touch the Locker icon besides the app to lock it.
Security Locks Recovery Email
Last but not least, you should also set the security locks recovery email from its Settings > Recovery of Security Locks. Enter your email address there, so you can reset the security lock in case you forgot it.

Android app locker alternatives
Except Folder Lock, there are many other security apps, file lock and app locker apps on Google Play Store you can choose. Here we recommend other two great alternatives: