Samsung phone users may finally get a proper locked folder in the Gallery app

What you need to know

• Samsung is reportedly fixing photo privacy on Galaxy phones by adding a built-in Private Album to the Gallery app in One UI 8.5.
• The feature mirrors Google Photos’ Locked Folder, blending real security with much-needed convenience.
• Hidden photos stay fingerprint- or PIN-protected, and Samsung even blocks screenshots inside the album for extra privacy.

Samsung is apparently gearing up to overhaul how Galaxy users hide and manage sensitive photos.

Hiding sensitive photos on a Samsung phone has always been more trouble than it should be. For a long time, if you wanted to keep a photo private, you had to move it to the Secure Folder. The Secure Folder is great for protecting banking apps and important documents, but using it just to hide a few pictures feels unnecessary. You have to unlock a separate, secure area, move the file, and if you want to edit or share it later, you have to move it back to the main gallery.

Thankfully, that friction might finally be disappearing. With the upcoming One UI 8.5 beta, Samsung is introducing a native "Private album" feature directly inside the Gallery app, SamMobile reports.

Google Photos-style security

This feature blends the security you need with the convenience you’ve been missing, and it looks a lot like the "Locked Folder" trick Google Photos users have enjoyed for a while. Instead of migrating files to a completely different partition of your phone, you simply open an image or video, tap the "More" menu, and hit "Move to private album." You can even select multiple items and toss them in at once.

To view these hidden files, you just head to the Gallery’s menu and tap "Private Album." It is protected by your fingerprint or screen lock, so your secrets stay safe even if you hand your unlocked phone to a friend to swipe through vacation pics. Plus, Samsung disables screenshots inside the album.

But keep in mind, this is still a beta feature and is pretty basic for now. For example, you can only sort files by date and can’t rearrange them. The options are limited too — you can share, delete, or move files back to the main gallery, but that’s about it.

Since this is currently spotted in the One UI 8.5 beta, you will likely need to wait for the official rollout to see it on your device. Either way, this is the feature Samsung Gallery needed to truly compete with Google Photos on usability.