Google is adding a new PIN-protected folder to its popular files application, internet reports have suggested.
According to 9to5Google, the folder will be encrypted and its contents protected from being accessed by other apps.
The folder will be stored locally on your phone, so there’s no option for its sensitive contents to be spied during transmission to a server or other cloud service.
‘Importantly, to ensure the security of your files, there is no built-in method to recover the password if you ever happen to forget it — or if a bad actor tries to get to your files,’ reports 9to5Google.
The existence of the new folder hasn’t been acknowledged by Google so it may just be internet gossiping. But it would jive with a more privacy-focused approach Google is pursuing with the next version of its Android operating system.
‘Android 11 has even more granular controls for the most sensitive permissions,’ said Dave Burke, the VP of Android engineering at Google.
‘With one-time permissions you can grant apps access to your microphone, camera or location, just that one time. The next time the app needs access to these sensors, it will have to ask you for permission again.
‘In addition, if you haven’t used an app for an extended period of time, we will “auto-reset†all of the permissions associated with that app and notify you of the same. You can always choose to re-grant the app permissions the next time you open the app.’
