Handing an unlocked smartphone to a family member, colleague, or technician often creates immediate privacy anxiety. Even when individual apps are locked with PINs, notifications, recent app switcher carousels, and search queries can expose sensitive banking information, confidential documents, or personal chat threads.
With Android 15, Google introduced Private Space, an operating system-level sandboxed container. Private Space functions as a completely isolated secondary user profile within your primary account: it has its own app launcher drawer, its own Google Account instance, isolated notification channels, and independent biometric or PIN locks. This guide covers how Private Space works and how to configure it on your Android 15 device.
How Private Space Differs from Work Profiles and App Locks
- True Sandboxed Isolation: Apps inside Private Space run in a discrete user environment. Data, cache, and encryption keys are segregated from your main profile.
- Zero Background Footprint When Locked: When Private Space is locked, the operating system stops all background processes inside it, conserving battery and stopping background data collection.
- Complete Stealth Mode: You can completely hide the Private Space container from your app drawer so casual observers cannot tell it exists.
Step-by-Step Configuration
1. Access Private Space Settings
- Open the Settings app on your Android 15 device.
- Tap Security & privacy.
- Scroll down to the Privacy section and select Private Space.
- Tap Set up.
2. Configure Authentication and Isolation
- Authenticate using your existing device screen lock.
- Choose whether to use your main device PIN/fingerprint or tap Choose new lock to set a dedicated secret PIN or pattern specifically for Private Space.
- Link a secondary or dedicated Google Account if you wish to download apps from Google Play that remain completely unlinked from your primary Google identity.
3. Managing Private Apps and Data
Once set up, scroll to the very bottom of your primary app drawer to find the Private container:
- Tap the lock icon to unlock and access private apps.
- Install sensitive banking, messaging, or trading apps directly from the sandboxed Google Play Store inside Private Space.
- Photos taken with camera apps inside Private Space are saved to an isolated gallery and will not synchronise with your main Google Photos backup unless configured.
Feature Comparison: Main Profile vs Private Space
| Feature | Main Profile | Private Space |
|---|---|---|
| Launcher Visibility | Always visible | Can be completely hidden from app drawer |
| Notifications When Locked | Delivered to lock screen | Completely blocked until unlocked |
| Recent Apps Carousel | Visible on swipe-up | Hidden from multitasking overview |
| Background Process Execution | Continuous background execution | Terminated automatically when container locks |
Hiding Private Space from the App Drawer
To prevent anyone from seeing the Private Space section in your app drawer:
- Go to Settings > Security & privacy > Private Space.
- Toggle Hide Private Space when locked to On.
- To access it when hidden, type
Private Spacedirectly into the search bar at the top of your Settings menu and enter your secret PIN.