One UI 9.5 appears set to introduce an App Lock feature that lets users lock individual apps and games directly from the home screen or app drawer, according to tipster Fahad Ali Javed, who found a One UI 9.5–based firmware on a Galaxy S26. The capability would add a simpler option for protecting specific apps or games beyond Samsung’s existing Secure Folder.
Before now, a native, single-app lock was expected to arrive with One UI 7.0 and later with One UI 9.0, but it did not ship with either release. The recent firmware discovery suggests Samsung has developed the feature and may include it in One UI 9.5.
How App Lock will work
In the firmware build observed by Fahad Ali Javed, App Lock can be accessed by pressing and holding an app or game icon and tapping a lock-shaped icon in the top-right corner of the contextual menu. Any app or game can reportedly be locked directly from the home screen or the app drawer on a phone running One UI 9.5. The feature uses the phone’s existing screen-unlock mechanism, so users would not need to remember an additional password or PIN; unlocking a locked app or game would be the same as unlocking the phone.
Discovery and context
The presence of App Lock was revealed in a One UI 9.5–based firmware found on a Galaxy S26 by Fahad Ali Javed. Samsung’s Secure Folder continues to provide a broader method to secure apps and media, but App Lock would offer a direct, per-app alternative if included in One UI 9.5.
