Google Photos to Introduce Cloud Backup for Locked Folder

Google Photos has a useful Locked Folder feature that allows you to store personal photos that you don't want to see in your main view or that you want to keep away from prying eyes whenever you hand over your phone to that nosy person (we all know who it is). While the feature is useful for privacy, it has a major flaw: photos stored in the Locked Folder are not backed up, which means that if you switch phones, lose your device, or worse, simply uninstall the Google Photos app, your photos in the folder will be lost as well. Google is attempting to change this by giving the Locked Folder feature a significant cloud upgrade.

Google Photos Locked Folder to Get a Cloud Upgrade Soon

In a screenshot shared in Google News' Telegram group, a toggle for "Back up Locked Folder" is visible in a dedicated Locked Folder backup page. This is a hidden menu in Google Photos version 6.23 that allows the user to toggle backup functionality and upload all photos in the Locker Folder to the cloud. Google may be tying up loose ends before making the change official as this menu exists but is not present in the current version of Photos.

While this is a fantastic move, it may call Locked Folder's overall privacy into question. Storing sensitive data in the cloud may raise security concerns, but thankfully, it's an opt-in process, so you can choose whether or not you want your stuff uploaded online.
There is a dialog box that explicitly states that if you turn off the backup option, photos may be lost if you are not careful with your data; if you don't want to risk losing photos, consider backing up the Locked Folder. Those who prefer to keep their data off the cloud can do so without changing any settings.

This feature is a godsend if you ever lose your phone, switch devices, transfer data, perform a factory reset, or delete the Google Photos app.

How to Move Photos to Locked Folder?

For the unaware, the Locked Folder feature is tucked away within the "Utilities" button, which is located within the "Library" tab. Google has a helpful explainer that elucidates how to transfer your photos to the Locked Folder with dedicated step-by-step instructions. There is an FAQ section too if you want to jump into the specifics of the feature.