Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung’s Secure Folder feature currently exposes apps and media by over-relying on Android’s Work profile.
- A new leak shows that One UI 8 will likely adopt Android’s Private Space API to fix this flaw.
- With the upcoming update, apps in Secure Folder will no longer work or send notifications when hidden, fixing another flaw.
Samsung Secure Folder is an in-built solution on Galaxy phones and tablets that lets users hide apps and files from prying eyes. While the feature locks these apps and files in a new profile and protects them with a screen lock, a flaw in Secure Folder allows anyone to see which apps and photos you have. Samsung didn’t publicly take cognizance of the flaw, so it was anyone’s guess if the company was working on a fix. A new leak suggests Samsung could fix the issues with Secure Folder with One UI 8.
Apps and photos are visible outside of Secure Folder primarily because of the way it works. Samsung creates a Work profile for Secure Folder, which is just a distinct profile from the default personal profile. While the data is containerized, specific components like the Android photo picker and Permission Controller can still see the contents within this Work profile, and end up exposing it in certain situations.
Google has its own version of the Secure Folder, which was introduced with Android 15 as Private Space. This is a different “Private” user profile, which the Android photo picker and Permission Controller treat differently. When this private profile is locked, it is subsequently hidden from the Android photo picker, the Permission Controller, and other system surfaces.
How could Samsung fix Secure Folder? One potential way is to adopt the Private Space approach. It seems Samsung is doing just that, as DevOfIpos on X says that Secure Folder on One UI 8 uses the Private Space API instead of the work profile.
As per the description that appears when hiding the Secure Folder, apps within the Secure Folder won’t work and won’t send any notifications while the Secure Folder is hidden. This does add a layer of friction when accessing content stored within the Secure Folder, but it should also fix instances of hidden apps sending you notifications and leaking your stored media.
There’s currently no word on when One UI 8 will be released. Given that Android 16’s stable release is right around the corner, we hope for more news soon. However, One UI 7’s delayed rollout has left a bad taste in our mouths, so we aren’t holding our breath for a quick One UI 8 rollout.
