I brought this killer iPhone feature to my Pixel and it didn’t cost a penny

https://www.pocket-lint.com/free-and-open-source-app-lock-app-for-android/

Publish Date: 2026-03-11 11:52:00

Even though I’m a die-hearted Android user, I’m always willing to admit when the iPhone does something spectacularly right. Such is the case with Apple’s app locking feature, which lets you secure any app on your iPhone behind a secondary PIN or biometric (separate from the one used to unlock the phone itself).

While some Android hardware makers have built their own app locking functions into their devices, Google’s own Pixel line (and the broader Android Open Source Project (AOSP)) lacks such capabilities out of the box. This is a shame, as app locking adds some great peace of mind when it comes to securing banking apps, messengers, photo galleries, and other mobile software of a sensitive nature.

Of course, third-party app lockers have existed on Android for quite some time, but many of them are shoddily filled with advertisements, are dubious in their privacy policies, and are haphazardly implemented using Device Administrator privileges and Accessibility APIs.

That’s when I stumbled across AppLock — a truly excellent third-party app locker for Android that is not only free and open-source, but also built with gorgeous Material 3 Expressive user interface principles. AppLock runs entirely offline, hardly takes up any space when installed, supports biometrics, and doesn’t require root access to configure.

AppLock can be downloaded from the F-Droid app marketplace, and its source code can be viewed over on GitHub. For details on how to download and install Android applications from outside the Google Play Store, check out my dedicated guide right here on Pocket-lint.

What makes AppLock stand out from the crowd is that it perfectly blends together aesthetic touches and useful configuration options. The Material You theming support means that the app’s lock interface matches your wallpaper colors right away, and advanced features like an unlock timer, haptic…

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