Handing your Samsung Galaxy to someone — even a sibling who just needs to make calls — opens the door to your photos, WhatsApp chats and work files. Here are the privacy settings How-To Geek recommends turning on before you lend your phone, so a curious borrower can’t wander through your life.
Samsung Galaxy privacy settings (Credits: How-To Geek)
1. Lock Private Photos in Samsung Secure Folder
Samsung Secure Folder keeps sensitive photos and files in a separate, password-protected space away from the regular Gallery. Go to Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder (the exact path may vary by One UI version), set up a lock, then add photos and files from Gallery or My Files. Even if the borrower knows your phone PIN, they still need separate authentication to peek inside.
2. Hide Notification Content on the Lock Screen
WhatsApp gossip, app alerts and bank OTPs shouldn’t scroll past a borrower. Go to Settings > Notifications > Hide content while locked. They’ll still see that a notification arrived from an app, but the actual message or OTP stays hidden — and you can also mute notification sounds so they can focus on work.
3. Pin the Phone App So They Can’t Open Your Apps
Use Samsung’s App pinning to lock the borrower into the Phone app. Go to Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Pin app, turn it on, and require your PIN before unpinning. Then open the Phone app, tap its icon in Recents, and choose Pin this app. They can make calls but can’t switch to WhatsApp, Gallery or any other app without your PIN.
4. Check Samsung Privacy Alerts and Permissions
Open Now Brief > Settings > Content to include > Device management and enable Security and privacy to get heads-ups when an app or its permissions look off. Then review access under Settings > Security and privacy > Permission manager and revoke anything an app doesn’t genuinely need.
With these steps in place, you can lend your Galaxy with confidence — your borrower gets a working phone, and your private life stays exactly that.
Also Read: How to Turn Off Samsung’s Split Notification Panels in One UI 7 | ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20 Review: The Best PC Gaming Handheld You Probably Can’t Buy
Source: How-To Geek — read the full story there.