Sometimes, it can be pretty annoying when someone borrows your smartphone or tablet because they can see the private contents on your device, like photos, videos or some information on social media, especially you’re the kind of person who is really secretive and wants some privacy about the contents on your device.
Of course, you can use password or PIN codes to lock your device so everyone who doesn’t know the pass codes won’t be able to unlock your smartphone or tablet.
But there’s actually another way that can prevent people around you from gaining access to your smartphone or tablet, even if your device is not locked with password or PIN codes. And that’s by using an app called ‘AppLock’.
By using AppLock, if you have photos that you don’t want other people to see, you'll be able to lock the photo viewers like ‘Google Photos’ with password or pattern codes.
So if your friends or brother can unlock you smartphone, they won’t be able to open ‘Google Photos’ app to see all of your photos.
Okay then, below I'm going to show you how exactly to use AppLock along with some of its best features.
#1. Go to Google Play Store
Now open Google Play Store app on your device.
#2. Download an app called “AppLock”
On Google Play Store, now search an app called “AppLock” and then download it to your device. It probably only takes a couple of seconds given its small size.
#3. Open the app
After the installation process is complete, now open the app.
#4. Set up the first password
The first time you open this app, it will automatically ask you to enter your first PIN codes for this app, which later will be used as the PIN codes everytime you open this app.
I suggest you to use some simple PIN codes like “12345” or “123” just to make it simple and easy to memorize.
#5. Switch to the Protect tab
After entering your password, you will go into the app screen. Now I want you to change the password method of this AppLock with the pattern code because I think it’s simpler and much easier to memorize than regular PIN codes/password.
#6. Change the unlock setting
Okay, now tap on the “Unlock Setting” and then in “Unlock mode” on the top, change the password method to “Pattern Lock”. This app will then ask you to enter the new pattern code that you'd like to apply on this app.
I suggest you to use simple pattern code in order to make it easier and quicker for you to open this AppLock again in the future.
#7. Press “Continue”
After you finish entering the pattern code, press “Continue” and then reenter the pattern code to confirm. And then tap on “Confirm”.
* Change the pattern code * Anyway, if you want to change again the pattern code, you can simply tap on “PATTERN LOCK SETTING” and then reenter again your new pattern code here.
#8. Switch back to Privacy tab
Now switch back the tab to “Privacy”.
#9. Tap on Profiles
To start locking your apps, now tap on the option “Profiles” which you can see on the third box on the top.
#10. Edit the “Guest Mode” profile
After entering to the “Profiles” screen, now I want you to modify the setting in “Guest mode” because when you activate this profile, some of your important apps will be locked automatically.
So when your friends or family borrow your tablet or smartphone, you can instantly activate this “Guest mode” profile, so all of these people won’t be able to open the locked apps.
Okay, now tap on this “Guest mode” profile to start configuring apps that you want to lock in this profile.
#11. Lock some of your important apps
Inside the “Guest mode” profile, you will see the list of apps on your device, all of them. Now to lock your important apps, tap on the “padlock” icon on the right of each app to lock every app.
For example, if you don’t want people to access your Gmail app, you can tap on the padlock icon in order to lock this app. It goes the same with other apps.
#12. Save the setting
Okay, after you finish configuring the apps that you want to lock on your device, now you’re all set and ready to try out this profile.
To save the last setting of this “Guest mode” profile, press the check mark icon on the top right corner. You then will be taken to the previous screen.
#13. Add all the profiles to the homescreen
In order to be able to activate and deactivate 2 profiles “Unlock all apps” and “Guest mode”, you must firstly put the shortcuts of these 2 profiles on the homescreen. So later, you can just tap on any of them on the homescreen everytime you want to activate or deactivate any of these 2 profiles.
Okay, as you can see on the screen, on each of these 2 profiles, there are 2 icons on the right: arrow (inside the box) and dot (in circle).
If you want to put the shortcuts of these 2 profiles to the homescreen of your device, you can simply press the arrow icon > select “OK” on each profile and you’re good to go.
You should now see these 2 profiles on the homescreen in the form of app shortcuts.
#14. Put all the profiles in the same one folder on homescreen
Now that you already have 2 profiles on the homescreen: “Unlock all apps” and “Guest mode”. To make it easier for you to access any of them on the homescreen, I suggest you to put these 2 profiles into the same one folder.
So everytime you want to activate any of these profiles, you just need to open the folder and select any of them to activate each profile.
#15. Enable the accessibility of AppLock on your device
In order for this AppLock to work properly on your smartphone or tablet, you must also enable this app through the system of your device. Now go to Setting > Accessibility > select AppLock > and then tap on the toggle to activate this app.
#16. How to apply the profiles?
Okay the next important question is, how exactly to activate either “Guest mode” or “Unlock all apps” profile on your device?
Well, it’s actually not hard to do that. Earlier, I asked you to put these 2 profiles on the homescreen. And I believe you already did that.
Now to activate the “Guest mode” profile, you just need to tap on “Guest mode” on the homescreen.
As you can see, after selecting this profile, some of the apps you already set up earlier on AppLock will be locked entirely.
So if your friends or family borrow your smartphone or tablet, they won’t be able to open these locked apps because these apps require pattern code in order to unlock them. And you’re the only one who knows the pattern code.
#17. How to unlock the profiles?
Okay, after your friends or family finish using your device and they give it back to you, you can then unlock this “Guest mode” profile by tapping on the second profile - “Unlock all apps”.
Now all of your locked apps will be unlocked and you can open them without using pattern code.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it guys, my step-by-step guide to lock your apps with AppLock so other people won’t be able to access your important contents when they borrow your smartphone or tablet. I really hope this guide can be helpful and informative to you in the future.
Anyway, what about you? Do you have any other cool trick to lock your apps to prevent other people from opening your apps? Or maybe you have any other apps that do exactly just like AppLock?
If you do, please don’t hesitate to share your apps or tricks right on the comment section below. I’ll be more than happier to hear yours.