Google recently released Android 15, the latest version of Android that brings a few new features to the platform. Private Space is one of the most useful of these new features. As the name indicates, it lets you create a separate section on your device to store more confidential data, including apps, files, images, etc., and keep them protected by hiding them from your regular apps and files. This provides an additional level of security and privacy, putting your mind at ease.

Setting up Private Space

  1. Open the Settings app and tap on 'Security and privacy'.
  2. Then tap on 'Private Space' in the Privacy section.
  3. You will need to authenticate your identity using whichever screen lock option is enabled on your device. If you haven't set up a device screen lock, you will need to do so. Once that is done, a new Private Space page will open.
  4. Tap on the 'Set up' button on the bottom right and follow the instructions on your screen.
  5. Next, you will need to sign in to the Google account for which you want to create a private space. For better security, it is recommended to create a new Google account for this purpose.
  6. After signing in to your Google account, you can choose to use your existing screen lock for the Private Space or set up a new one. If you want to use a different screen lock, tap on 'Choose new lock', otherwise tap on 'Use device screen lock'.
  1. Once you've set up and authenticated the screen lock, tap on the 'Done' button. Now your Private Space is set up and ready to use.

Using Private Space

Private Space functions as a separate Android device within your phone. So, you can install and use apps inside it just like you normally would. However, you can hide and customize the Private Space in a few additional ways.

Installing and using apps

  1. Open the app drawer on your Android device and scroll to the bottom. Tap on the 'Private' tab that will show up there.
  2. Use the authentication method you set up to unlock the Private Space.
  3. Your Private Space will already have apps like the Google Play Store, Contacts, Google Photos, Chrome, and Files. You can install additional apps from the Play Store inside the private space but cannot move apps in and out of it.
  4. Similarly, you can use the Camera app inside the private space to take pictures and record videos, which will be accessible in the Google Photos app within that space.
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Hiding the Private Space and app suggestions

Your Private Space is visible at the bottom of the app drawer by default but you can hide it when the space is locked.

  1. Open the Private Space by tapping on the 'Private' tab and using your screen lock authentication method.
  2. Tap on the gear icon to access the Private Space settings.
  3. Then tap on 'Hide private space' before tapping on the toggle on the next page to hide the private space.
  4. Now your Private Space will not be visible in the app drawer. To access it, you will have to manually search for it.
  5. You can also hide the apps inside your Private Space from appearing in suggestions in the app drawer. To prevent this from happening, tap and hold on the home screen to open the home screen settings.
  6. Now tap on 'Suggestions' and then tap on the 'Suggestions in all apps list' toggle to turn it off.

Customizing and deleting the Private Space

  1. Open your Private Space as explained above and tap on 'Private Space lock' to customize how the space locks.
  2. Then tap on 'Lock Private Space automatically' and select one of the methods from the options available.
  3. If you want to delete the Private Space, open the Private Space and tap on the gear icon to access the Private Space settings.
  4. Then tap on 'Delete private space' and authenticate using your private space screen lock. Keep in mind that doing so will delete all the data within that space without any backup.

Things to know

  • When your Private Space is locked, all apps within are completely stopped and cannot run in the background. This means you won't get any notifications from those apps.
  • Apps that you install in your Private Space and content that you keep in your Private Space won't appear in your phone's Privacy Dashboard, Permissions Manager, and other settings when the space is locked. However, they will show up in all these areas when the space is unlocked.
  • When you switch devices, you won't be able to shift your Private Space to your new device and will have to set it up again.
  • While Private Space will be available to devices running Android 15, some manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola already offer such a feature on their devices on older Android versions.