We all have our secrets, some of which are moments saved in little pictures here and there that wouldn't want to get in the wrong hands or prying hands. While one option is moving them to a different location, that is often not enough. If you want to keep your pictures further out of sight, the best solution is to hide them.Fortunately there are several ways to do this, all of which are easy to set up. You'll mostly need any file explorer of your choice, a PC, an app with lock and key support plus a few instructions.

Using File Commander

The first file explorer app to consider is the File Commander, simply because it has a beautifully designed interface and it also happens to be the easiest to use. To make use of it:
  • First have the File Commander downloaded on your Android device.
  • Launch File Commander and tap the three horizontal menu icon on the Home bar within the app's main page. This will open up your settings and you'll immediately notice a toggle switch at the center.
  • Flip the switch to secure mode after which you'll be prompted to create a password. Note that the password cannot be recovered thus ensure that its one that will be easy to remember. Once you've entered your password, a notification bar will appear at the top interface, confirming that "You are now in Secure mode". The secure mode can be exited at any time just by clicking the X at the left corner of the bar.
  • While on the secure mode, you can lock any pictures and files that feature a padlock icon beside them, with a single tap on it. If the padlock next to a file appears open and gray, then it means the image can be seen by anyone, but once a padlock is locked, it will be barred from being viewed in your gallery.
You can choose to have individual or entire folders of pictures locked, which will then only be accessible within the File Commander when its in Secure Mode.

Using ES File Explorer

ES File Explorer is another great file explorer alternative that you can use to hide pictures. It works similar to File Commander, only that it comes with a few more options.
  • To begin using it, download ES File Explorer on your Android device.
  • Open the ES File Explorer and tap the three horizontal lines at the top left side of any menu. This opens up a new menu that will enable you to navigate and view hidden pictures within ES File Explorer.
  • There will be a couple of dropdown menus displayed here, but you'll need to first tap Tools.
  • Another dropdown menu will be opened, showing a toggle switch that allows you to view hidden files. For now, have it enabled to be able to see the pictures you want to encrypt. You can switch it back off once you're done encrypting.
  • Now move to the settings wheel icon located at the bottom of the same sidebar menu and tap on it to bring up your entire Settings.
  • Navigate to Password settings and then select the different parameters you need to protected by a password. Though isn't necessary, it will boost your security.
  • Next, find the pictures or folders of pictures stored either on internal memory or any other secondary storage on your device, that you want hidden.
  • Once you find each one, long-press it until it gets a check mark, after which you can also tap on any other photos on the same screen, to add them.
  • Once you have selected every item you want added, tap the three vertical dots icon to open a different dropdown menu.
  • Navigate and select the Encrypt option. You may be required to set up a password, which is the same one you'll use whenever you want to encrypt, decrypt or view hidden files. All the encrypted files will appear gray with a padlock.

Using a file or folder to hide pictures

This method can be applied on any file explorer as well as on a PC that provides access to the folders on your phone.
  • Open a file explorer of your choice, or have your Android device connected to a PC using the right USB cable.
  • In a folder where you want to keep your pictures hidden on a file explorer:
  • Hit the three vertical dots to bring up another menu.
  • On the menu, select New.
  • Select file if, you want all the photos hidden in the present folder.
  • Select folder, to choose a folder to hide the photos in.
  • Type in .nomedia as the name for the folder or file. Note that you can name it anything you choose as long as it comes after the fullstop or period.
On the PC, you can do this by right-clicking on the desktop and creating a new file in a similar fashion.
  • Open your phone's storage on the PC
  • Go to the folder you want your pictures hidden in, or the newly created folder.
  • You can either enter a new file name (with a period before it such as .nomedia) on the current folder or have the new folder you want to hide your pictures in named as .nomedia (or any other name with a period before it).

Using third party apps

File managers aren't the only options for hiding pictures on your Android device. There are plenty of third party apps available for free on the Google Play Store for free, that do more than just hide your photos. These apps come with a variety of options to suit your different needs, including the ability to ensure that your videos are not visible to prying eyes.What are some of the ways you keep your pictures hidden on your Android device? Let us know in the comments.

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What's my model number?

There are several ways to locate your model number:

Option 1
On your device, go to Settings, then "About device" and scroll down to "Model number"
Option 2
Often times you can view the model number inside the device, by removing the battery
Option 3
Using Samsung's model/serial number location tool

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