Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is making it simpler to move sensitive files into Private Space, the built-in feature on Pixel devices for hiding apps and data.
- While the tool has always made it straightforward to add apps to the profile, adding files has been less intuitive.
- An upcoming update adds a new “Add files” option that lets you directly copy or move files from your main profile into the Private Space.
If you want to hide apps, files, and folders on your Android device, there’s no shortage of options available. Many Android devices have built-in tools for hiding apps and files, saving you from having to find trustworthy third-party solutions. Pixel devices, for example, feature Private Space, a tool that lets you hide apps in a separate, private user profile. While moving apps into this space is straightforward, migrating sensitive files is less intuitive. Fortunately, Google is about to make it much simpler to copy or move your files into the Private Space.
Google introduced Private Space in the stable release of Android 15 last year. The feature creates a new user profile with its own separate storage for apps and files. Adding apps is simple: a large “Install” button within the Private Space launches its dedicated Google Play Store, making the process straightforward.
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Adding files, however, is more complicated. One method is to download them from an app already inside the Private Space, which might confuse people who don’t understand the compartmentalized nature of Android profiles. The other method involves using the share menu from an app in your main profile, selecting the “Private” tab, and then choosing “Files by Google.” Not only is this option less discoverable, but it also only copies files, requiring you to manually delete the originals to actually hide them.
To solve this, Google is adding a new file transfer feature to Private Space. In the latest Android Canary release, the “Install” button has been replaced with an “Add” button. Tapping it now opens a menu with two options: “Install apps,” which launches the dedicated Play Store as before, and “Add files,” which opens the Files by Google app.
From there, you can switch to the “Personal” tab to see files from your main profile and select what you want to transfer. A new dialog gives you the option to either copy or move them. For transfers that take more than a few seconds, a progress notification will appear. Digging deeper, we learned there are some limitations: you can only transfer up to 100 files or 2GB of data at a time.
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
Private Space’s new file transfer feature isn’t in the latest Android 16 QPR1 beta, so it probably won’t arrive in next month’s stable release. Instead, we may have to wait for the following quarterly update, Android 16 QPR2, for the feature to go live.
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