Thanks to Google’s expedited Android release schedule, Android 17 is right around the corner. Canary releases typically offer some insight into what’s to come in the next major Android update, and the recently rolled out Android Canary 2601 is no exception. This software is now revealing new information about App Lock, which is expected to debut with Android 17 later this year.
App Lock will be Android’s native solution for locking individual apps. Currently, this process involves downloading third-party apps or trying out Android’s Private Space, which serves a completely different purpose. With App Lock finally about to change that, there was always the question of how notifications from these locked apps would be managed.
Thanks to the code sleuths at Android Authority, we’re getting a good idea about this aspect too. Strings uncovered by the site reveal how notifications from locked apps will only show generic text, like the ones shown in the strings below:
<string name="app_locked_new_notification">New notification</string>
<string name="app_locked_notification_message">New message</string>
This is largely consistent with how certain smartphone makers implement app lock, not to mention the multitude of third-party apps available on the Play Store. It provides a layer of privacy from prying eyes or just from people who happen to use your phone temporarily, like a friend, colleague, or family member.
We won’t see App Lock in Android 16 QPR3
The publication was unable to determine whether notifications from these locked apps would show the apps’ names and icons. However, since most existing app lockers function this way, Google’s native solution for Android is expected to follow a similar path.
While we hope to see App Lock featured in Android 17, it’s not set in stone at the moment. However, a feature’s appearance (or mention) in Android Canary is generally an indicator that its release isn’t far away. We should have more info as the first Android 17 developer preview goes live, which was expected in November but hasn’t rolled out yet.
While Android 16 QPR3 is in beta right now and is the next major software release before Android 17 drops, there has been no mention of App Lock in the betas so far. This leaves Android 17 as the likely candidate for the arrival of this native app locking feature.
So far, we’ve learned about a couple of other features that could debut with Android 17, including a Universal Clipboard for Android phones and PCs, while the software could also introduce full-screen apps to the always-on display. The first Android 17 Developer Preview should provide some hints about the software’s features ahead of its stable release in the middle of the year.
