Google is reportedly testing an important new Google Photos update that will finally fix a major shortcoming in its privacy-focused Locked Folder feature that could lead to inadvertent data loss.
According to a posting in the Google News Telegram group, later confirmed by 9To5Google, Google Photos may soon be able to back up the contents of the Locked Folder to the cloud. This is a vitally important upgrade that would save many users from permanently losing their most important photos.
Google is testing a key Google Photos update that should save users from losing important photos and … [+]
According to the post, version 6.23 of the Google Photos app contains a hidden settings page, displayed in the accompanying screenshot, enabling users to back up the Locked Folder to their Google Accounts for the first time.
No further information is provided as to how this will function, but it would presumably maintain an encrypted copy of the Locked Folder somewhere within the users’ Google Drive storage, separate from the rest of their photos and videos, enabling the Locked Folder to be restored to a new device.
What is the Locked Folder and why does it currently lack backup?
The Google Photos Locked Folder is a special passcode-protected storage location where users can stash any sensitive or private images they don’t want showing up when scrolling through their photos, either within Google Photos or when using other apps on their devices. They are also prevented from showing up in any of Google’s automatically generated ‘Memories.’
Unfortunately, due to the way they’re stored only on users’ local devices and not in the cloud, these images have remained vulnerable to accidental deletion. If you lose your phone, have to reset it, or simply uninstall the Google Photos app, your Locked Folder items will be permanently lost. Furthermore, moving an image into your locked folder also deletes any existing cloud backups.
Obviously, cloud backup comes with its own security concerns, but it appears that users will soon be able to decide for themselves whether they prefer the hacker-resistant security of device-only storage or the ability to restore their photos and videos in the event of data loss.
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