One UI 9 could bring the App Lock feature to Galaxy phones this year

While One UI is one of the most feature-rich and customizable software for smartphones out there, it lacks a simple feature that people have been requesting for years. It lacks a simple app lock feature, which even Apple introduced a couple of years ago. That feature could come with the One UI 9 update.

It has been discovered in the latest Android Canary build from Google that notifications received by hidden apps will display generic information rather than actual notification data. A phone will just display “New message” for messaging apps and “New notification” for other types of apps. However, it isn't clear which app icon and app name it will display on the screen as part of the notification.

While this feature hasn't been made official yet, and Google seems to be working on it behind the scenes. It could debut within the next few months as part of Android 17.

Of late, Samsung has been waiting for Google to bring changes to the core Android operating system to enable critical One UI features. For example, it switched DeX from a custom implementation to Android 16's Desktop Mode feature. So, once Google introduces App Lock with Android 17, Samsung could use it to bring App Lock to Galaxy phones and tablets with the One UI 9.0 update.