This is a game changer
Samsung is moving quickly to recover ground lost through its One UI 7 delays. The Galaxy-maker has now confirmed that early access to the One UI 8 beta is now available, “kicking off a new era of software intelligence.” What happens next is critical. How far will Samsung fall behind Pixel’s unbeatable June release?
But the advantage Samsung has this time is the relatively modest scale of One UI 8 versus the wholesale One UI 7 update that still has not completed its rollout. But literally hidden in amongst the various tweaks we know are coming is a brilliant update that could be a game-changer. “Think of it as a kill switch for your private digital life.”
That’s how Android Police describes the new “Hide Secure Folder” button that instantly disappears the folder’s icon and apps. “When hidden, ‘apps and data stored in Secure Folder are encrypted.’ All apps within the folder will stop working and you will not receive any notifications from them until you unhide and decrypt the Secure Folder.”
This I really like. It is an OS-level deployment of the kind of personal security and privacy that’s much needed when kids and others might browse through your phone, playing games or watching media or looking at photos. It also stops awkward notifications appearing when your phone might be on view to others.
Android Authority has done its usual deep dive on the new upgrade, and says “Secure Folder on One UI 8 is easier to use and safer than ever.” This is especially welcome given the security vulnerabilities highlighted with Secure Folder in recent months, and that Samsung has chosen to go a different way to Android’s generic Private Space.
Galaxy’s new ‘kill switch’
The other headline upgrade is forcing users to re-enrol their biometric security for Secure Folder, separating it into its own enclave. This means if you’ve enrolled someone else’s fingerprint for generic phone access — one of your kids or your partner, that does not mean they will have access to the personal Secure Folder which is hived off.
“While your lock screen already helps keep the data on your phone safe from casual access,” Android Authority says, this “offers an extra layer of security, particularly handy if you know that other people are going to be using your device. You can move your most private data to its encrypted protection, and even hide its presence entirely.”
That kill switch will grab the headlines though, “a new Quick Settings button not just hides the Secure Folder without forcing you to did through settings menus, but also shuts down the apps you’ve moved there and silences their notifications. Considering this is where Samsung encourages us to keep our most sensitive stuff, a super-quick way to just sweep it all under the rug feels like a completely on-brand addition.”
This should completely change how you use Android and think about carving out data and apps that are for you and you alone. Once live, if this is a seamless and polished as promised, it’s something other phones — including iPhone — should copy.
