Google Photos originally made the Locked Folders available to Pixel phones before expanding it to other Android devices at the end of 2021, and cloud backup has been added to the features of the software.
Cloud backup for locked folders
The Locked Folders prevents images and videos from being displayed in the main “Photos” grid and search, as well as in the system file picker. Existing photographs that have already been uploaded to the cloud are erased if you transfer them to the Locked Folder.
- Items in your Locked Folder that are saved to your device aren’t moved to other devices during cable or cloud data transfers.
- If you uninstall the Photos app or clear your Photos app data, you’ll lose all items in your Locked Folder. To save these items, remove them from Locked Folder before you make changes.
Google Photo version 6.23 (via Android Police) includes strings describing how to “back up photos & videos in the Locked Folder on this device to your Google Account.” It will be fascinating to see if Locked Folder, which is present exclusively available on Android, will become available on the web as a result. If this is the case, the “Archive” capability may muddy the lines.
Since the Locked Folder’s release, several customers have been perplexed by the lack of a cloud backup, particularly after purchasing a new device. Backups appear to be always anticipated in Google Photos, and the app is now accommodating this. Backups to the cloud for the Google Photos Locked Folder are optional and have not yet been offered.
