How to hide files using the Galaxy S5’s Private mode

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 30 Apr 2014

Front 2

Samsung has included a very nifty Private mode feature on the Galaxy S5 that is hidden deep inside its Settings menu. But the feature in itself has been implemented a bit differently from what we have seen on competing devices like the LG G2. Instead of opening a new guest mode where all your personal data is kept away from strangers, the Galaxy S5 allows users to hide their personal content, which is only visible when the private mode is switched on.

While this is not as useful as the Guest mode on the LG devices, it is still better than nothing. Below is how you can use the Private mode on the Galaxy S5 to hide your personal data from prying eyes.

Step 1: Head over to the cluttered Settings menu of the handset and find the Private mode option located under Personalization. Using this, you will be able to hide selected data from Gallery, Music Player, Voice Recorder and Video files. If you were looking to protect any other data, you are sadly out of luck.

private_mode_screenshot

Step 2: Proceed to the next step where you will be prompted to setup an alternative password. If you are already using the fingerprint scanner as your lock screen security, you will be prompted to swipe your finger over the scanner. You can also setup a PIN, Pattern or a Password if you feel like it. Henceforth, you need to enter this password every time you want to enable Private mode.

Step 3: Now, head over to the Gallery and select all the photos you want to hide. Then, tap the overflow menu button in the action bar and select the Move to Private option. All your photos will now be moved to a special private folder. In a similar manner, you can hide all your personal content from the Voice recorder, My files and Videos app.

private_mode_turn_off

After you are done moving all your personal files to a Private folder, switch off the mode for the changes to take effect. Keep in mind that any changes you make to any file or app in Private mode will not be saved so it’s better to turn off the mode as soon as you are done hiding all the files.

To view a master list of all your hidden files, enable Private mode and head over to the My Files app. You should see a Private folder there, tapping on which will show all the content that you have made private.

So, the next time you want to keep some personal pics or files on your Galaxy S5 and don’t want to worry about someone finding them, make sure to use the Private mode feature.