App Lock is one of the simplest yet essential security apps designed to protect your apps from unauthorized access. These tools work by asking you to enter a password or other authentication method to open a specific application. For optimal security, it is recommended to use them together with the locked screen of the device, giving you two layers of protection.
Let’s explore some of the best Android app lock apps and privacy lock apps to improve the security of your mobile device.
The best lock app for Android
Do app locks work and do I need them?
App Lock is an interesting type of security app. Prevents people from entering the app without a PIN, fingerprint or code. An extra layer of protection keeps prying eyes away from sensitive apps like social media, your gallery app, and more.
Here’s the thing. Applocks are just apps. They can be hidden from the app drawer to prevent instant intrusions, but ultimately, you can just uninstall it and it will be gone. At the end of the day, a reasonably tech-savvy person can bypass an app lock without too much difficulty in a short period of time.
Applocks work, but we recommend not setting them as the first and only layer of security on your phone.
So do you need one? Well, it depends. The best use case for an app lock is for people with children. Kids aren’t that tech savvy, especially when they’re younger, so they probably won’t figure out how to bypass it and get into your banking app. Those types of short-term use cases are perfect for app locks.
In short, app locking works. However, we wouldn’t rely on those apps to be your first line of security. Lock screens are much more effective at preventing strangers from entering your business.
Applock Pro by Eywin Apps
Price: Free/In-App Purchases ($0.99 – $99.99 per item
AppLock Pro by Eywin Apps is a feature-rich mobile security app designed to protect your privacy. It has a user-friendly interface and robust encryption. It lets you lock individual apps, photos, videos, and even incoming calls with PIN, pattern, or fingerprint protection. This application ensures that your sensitive data remains inaccessible to unauthorized users, providing peace of mind in today’s digital world. AppLock Pro is a reliable choice for those looking for the ultimate in privacy protection on their smartphones.
Applock by DoMobile Lab
Price: Free/In-App Purchases ($1.99 – $11.99 per item)
Applock by DoMobile Lab is definitely one of the best app locks. The app can do basic things like lock certain apps. It can also lock certain images and videos. It also includes fingerprint support, and you can even lock things like incoming calls, uninstalling apps, and various system functions like Bluetooth. The application is free to download and use. You can unlock premium features by enabling ads or paying for the premium version through a donation. It’s a powerful app and one of our favorites.
AppLock by IvyMobile
Price: Free
AppLock is another one of the better app locks on Android. As you will see, it can lock almost any app on your phone. It also boasts the ability to lock photos and videos. The app has an invisible pattern lock as well as a random keyboard, just in case someone tries to peek over your shoulder. You’ll also get theming, the ability to replace the icon so you can hide the app, lock frequency, and more. It will even take pictures of people who have not entered the password correctly. It is completely free to download and use. That’s another good advantage for this one.
AI Locker by Mega Fortuna
Price: Free/In-App Purchases ($1.99 – $149.99 per item)
AI Locker by Mega Fortuna is a decent locker app. It does mostly the same things as other app lock apps. This includes locking apps and giving you different ways to access them. You get fingerprint support as well as pattern and password unlocking. It also comes with some customization options and can prevent other users from uninstalling apps. It won’t dazzle you with a bunch of extra or unnecessary features. It’s a simple app lock that does the job pretty well, and it’s cheap too.
Norton App Lock
Price: Free
Norton is a big name when it comes to antivirus applications. As it turns out, they also offer a free app lock app. It uses a four-digit PIN, password or pattern as a locking system. You can also set a password for specific photos with apps. It also comes with a recommendation list that lets you know which apps to lock. It’s a great tool for those who want a multi-handed approach. Like most, it also takes a photo of anyone who tries to get into your phone. It can be bypassed if the person is smart, but it’s still one of the tighter app locks.
AppLock by Kewl Apps
Price: Free/In-App Purchases ($5.49 per item)
Smart AppLock
Price: Free
Smart AppLock is another decent free app lock option. It will lock your apps and photos, including your settings, switches, and phone app (for phone records), to keep it all safe. Disguises itself as a lock screen. This way people think they are back to their device’s home lock screen interface. Additionally, it provides auto-launch after reboot, intrusion alerts, and delayed app lock that lets you set a certain time interval before the app locks after you exit it. Additionally, it has fingerprint scanner capabilities for Samsung devices. The best part? This app is a free option that is supported by advertising. The only downside is that it’s pretty easy to uninstall once someone discovers it exists.
Smart launcher 6
Price: Free/In-App Purchases ($0.99 – $26.99 per item)
Smart Launcher 6 is a newer launcher with some decent security features. The app features launcher stuff like ambient themes, customizable icons, app sorting, gestures, shortcuts and more. One of its niche features is the app lock. The launcher hides apps that you don’t want others to see. In addition, if found, the applications are then protected with a PIN. We would have liked to have seen support for a fingerprint reader, but it’s a full bootloader with built-in app lock, which is a real rarity in these parts. Fortunately, this rarity is also pretty decent as a launcher and as an app lock.
SpSoft AppLock
Price: Free/In-App Purchases ($0.99 – $4.99 per item)
SpSoft AppLock is a decent option for locking apps. Features password, pattern and fingerprint unlocking. That’s good news for those with a fingerprint scanner. Like many others, it will take selfies of people trying to get into your apps and failing. It also has a bunch of fun little extras. You can set your pattern to display on the grid up to 18×18 instead of the traditional 3×3. It will also show a fake error message instead of locking if you want it to. The app will even keep your screen on when you’re using certain apps, if you want. It is a good option that also supports more than 30 languages.
Ultra AppLock
Price: Free/In-App Purchases ($1.99 – $7.49 per item)
Ultra AppLock is another decent app lock with enough features to work with. You simply open the app, lock the apps you want, and then need a password to enter them. The app supports fingerprint locking and can send burglary alerts if someone guesses the password wrong. The app lock part of this app works well. However, it also includes some cleaning and battery saving features that absolutely do not work and we recommend that you do not use them. It’s reasonably good and should get the job done for the most part, as long as you stay away from the cleaner features, which have been reported to cause software bugs and other issues for users of this app.