A smartphone is a very personal gadget. We have personal messages and information on social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and more. Then there are banking apps, where a lot of our sensitive data is stored. Also, we click a ton of personal photos and videos, which are saved in the gallery app of our smartphone or sometimes hidden with photo-hiding apps. Unlike iOS, where you need to be jailbroken to lock apps with Touch ID, Android features a number of cool apps that let you lock apps through a password, PIN, fingerprint scanner, or some really unique ways. So, if you are looking for app lockers on Android to lock apps with your device’s fingerprint sensor, we have you covered. Here are the 10 best app lockers for Android in 2024.
1. Norton App Lock
Chances are, you have heard of Norton, the popular anti-virus maker. Well, the company offers a pretty good app locker for Android. The Norton App Lock is a very simple app locker which should be a good choice if you are looking for a free & ad-free app locker that just works. With Norton App Lock, you can lock apps by fingerprint, PIN, or pattern. There aren’t a lot of options here but you can protect it from uninstallation by giving it admin privileges. There are also options to set a recovery email, along with a sneak peek feature that captures photos of intruders who enter the wrong PIN or pattern 3 times.
Install: (Free)
2. AppLock – Fingerprint & Password
App Lock by SailingLab is one of those app lockers that has a multitude of features apart from protecting apps from unauthorized users. While you have all the standard app locker features like PIN, Fingerprint, and Pattern protection, it also brings a photo vault, intruder selfie to catch people who are trying to break in, and message security for hiding chat notifications from sensitive apps. And that is not all, it also has a privacy browser but I would not really recommend using it.
From the face of it, AppLock is a feature-packed app locker and does a good job of protecting your chats and sensitive apps from prying eyes. Not to mention, there are themes as well for the lock screen so there is that. However, you would encounter some ads on the lock screen and that gets annoying sometimes. Simply put, if you are looking for a complete solution that can lock your apps and also hide photos and videos on your Android device then App Lock by Sailing Lab can be a decent pick.
Install: (Free, Offers in-app purchases)
3. AppLock – Fingerprint
AppLock – Fingerprint (yes, that’s the app’s name on the Play Store) is another very popular app locker on Android, and deservedly so, because it packs in a ton of great features. There’s support for fingerprint scanner, PIN, and you can set different passwords for different apps. You can also set up profiles and make sure that the app locks activate at a certain time or based on the WiFi and Bluetooth connection. Along with apps, the app locker also lets you lock system settings, the home screen, rotation, and more.
Moreover, there are cool features like the ability to hide the app, remotely unlock a phone via SMS, “Observer” which as the name suggests captures photos of failed unlock attempts. AppLock – Fingerprint includes ads but you can remove them through an in-app purchase. Overall, it is the app to get if you love playing with a ton of options.
Install: (Free, with in-app purchases)
4. IVY AppLock
IVY AppLock is quite a popular app locker for Android that comes with a bunch of features. Unlike some other app lockers which go overboard with features, AppLock keeps it relatively simple, offering some of the most useful features. You can use the app to lock pretty much any app you want to secure. The app supports locking apps using a pattern/PIN and password. For added security, you can use the app’s invisible pattern lock, and randomized keyboard as well.
Apart from apps, you can lock your sensitive photos and videos as well. What’s more, the app will automatically take pictures of anyone who tries to open a locked app unsuccessfully. The app also supports disguising, which means you can make the app icon look like the Clock icon, weather app, calculator, and other system apps.
Install: (Free)
5. BGNmobi AppLocker
BGNmobi AppLocker is another Android app that you can use to lock your private or secret apps. The app supports locking with a password, pattern, and even a fingerprint. However, if your phone supports face unlock, this app can unfortunately not use that to unlock apps for you. Moreover, there’s an intruder selfie mode as well which will take a selfie of anyone who tries to unlock your secure apps without your permission or consent.
Install: (Free)
6. AppLock Pro
AppLock Pro is another Android app locker that you can check out. The app has been highly rated by over 200 thousand of its users, and it comes with plenty of features to fulfill your requirements. You can easily lock apps and the app supports authentication using pattern, PIN, fingerprint, and even a knock code. Like many of the other app lockers for Android, AppLock Pro can take pictures of people who try to unlock your private apps.
With AppLock Pro, you can even hide your notifications and set a fake error message to dissuade people from trying to open your locked apps. The app also comes with a phone cleaner, support for themes and customizable unlock animations, as well as invisible lines for pattern lock and more. It’s a feature-rich app locker for Android that you can try out to safeguard your personal information.
Install: (Free)
7. App Lock by Smart Mobile
App Lock by Smart Mobile is a fairly new app locker in the Play Store but it has gained a lot of traction due to its clean interface and straightforward approach. Similar to other app lockers in the list, it lets you lock apps through fingerprint, PIN, or pattern as you prefer. There is a unique feature as well called profiles which categorize the apps in general, sensitive, social, and payment labels. You can, in fact, create your own profile and include apps of your choice. The benefit of the profile is that you can enforce a set of rules in just one tap.
For example, you can unlock all the social apps in one tap once you are at home — no more fiddling with the lock permissions of each and every app. Other than that, you can set the app as an Administrator too so that no one can uninstall it. However, I would not really recommend that as it’s a system-level privilege. All in all, I can say that App Lock by Smart Mobile is a neat app locker and has good features to boot. You can certainly give it a try.
Install: (Free, Offers in-app purchases)
8. AppLock
AppLock is one of the many app lockers for Android with the “app locker” moniker. The app is very popular with over 10 million downloads. Sure, the app has fixed its outdated UI and now it comes with some really unique features in modern design. Apart from the usual app locking features, App Locker lets you set custom lock settings on a per-app basis.
So you can set the primary lock method for an app to fingerprint while choosing pattern as the primary lock method for another app. Other than that, the app lets you choose a crash cover, set app re-lock delay, and more. It includes ads but you can remove the ads by purchasing the full version of the app.
Install: (Free, offers in-app purchases)
9. App Lock – Lock Apps, Password
Another app with the App Lock name, this one from InShot Inc. can lock all your private apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and others. You can even lock banking apps with this. The app supports fingerprint unlocking, pattern, and even a password. You can choose which apps to lock, and it’s easy to select and remove apps that you want to lock or not lock. Not to mention, it also comes with intruder protection and takes selfies when a user enters the wrong password. Overall, the app has all the usual features you’ll find in other app lockers, and it’s also free to use.
Install: (Free, offers in-app purchases)
10. Apex Launcher
While this is not affiliated with Apex Legends mobile in any way, and it’s not exactly an app locker, this Android launcher comes with app-locking capabilities built in. So, you can get a fresh new look for your phone, and lock any personal apps that you want to protect from others. The launcher itself supports custom app icons, icon packs, transition effects, customization, and more.
As far as the built-in app locker is concerned, you can easily lock Facebook, Snapchat, your gallery, and any other apps with PIN/pattern protection. The app will soon get fingerprint lock support as well if your phone has the hardware for it. Apex launcher can also hide your personal photos and videos, making it a pretty decent option.
Install: (Free, Pro $8.99)
There are a ton of app locker apps on the Play Store but the aforementioned 10 are most certainly the best app lockers you can use on Android. All of them support the fingerprint scanner and all of them bring some unique features, so you can choose the app that suits you best. So, try out these app lockers on your Android smartphone, and do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
