Google Photos makes accessing the Locked Folder much faster

Abner Li | Jul 3 2024 - 11:41 am PT

After rolling out cross-device sync last year, Google Photos is making it much easier to open your Locked Folder on Android and iOS.

Previously, you accessed the Locked Folder by opening Google Photos, going to the Library tab, tapping Utilities in the top-right corner of the 2×2 grid, and scrolling to the Organize Your Library heading.

Now, “Locked” appears directly next to Favorites, Archive, and Trash for much faster access. The old approach made the existence of the Locked Folder less obvious, which had its advantage. That said, Google Photos on the web puts the private folder right in the navigation drawer.

Old vs. new

Much of the functionality housed in Utilities, which served as an informational dumping ground, has been moved to the ‘plus’ sheet in the app bar. There you’ll find “Create new” — Album, Collage, Highlight video, Cinematic photo, Animation, and Photos books, prints, & more — and “Get photos” with shortcuts for Share with a partner and Import from other places.

This new location for the Google Photos Locked Folder is rolled out on Android (version 6.89) and iOS.

Meanwhile, the Google Photos Library tab remains. Google is testing a Collections redesign that makes accessing your library, especially on-device folders, a bit more tedious.