AppLock 6.3.3 for Android

AppLock 6.3.3 is a free Android app from PIPS Tech that puts a lock on the apps you choose. You can download AppLock for Android to keep messengers, photos or banking apps closed to anyone who borrows your phone.

Quick facts

• Version: 6.3.3
• Developer: PIPS Tech (pipstech.com)
• Platform: Android
• Licence: freeware
• Size: about 48.03 MB according to catalogue data

What it does

A screen lock protects the phone as a whole, but once it is unlocked, every app is open. That is a problem when you hand the phone to a child, a colleague or a friend to show a photo or make a call. AppLock adds a second layer: you pick individual apps, and each time one of them is opened, AppLock asks for your code first. Everything else on the phone works as usual. People use it to keep chats private, to stop children from making purchases in games or changing settings, and to hide a gallery from curious eyes. It does not encrypt data inside the apps; it only controls who can open them on this device. That distinction matters: if someone knows your screen lock and has time to uninstall AppLock, the protection is gone, so treat it as a privacy tool rather than a vault.

How to set it up

1. Install AppLock from Google Play, and check that the developer is PIPS Tech.
2. Open it and set a code you do not use elsewhere.
3. Grant the permissions it asks for; without them it cannot see which app is starting.
4. Choose the apps to lock and test by opening one of them.

Permissions and safety

To work, an app locker needs permissions that let it watch which app is in front and draw over other apps. That is normal for this kind of tool, but it also means you should install it only from Google Play or the developer's official site. Copies from APK sites may be modified to collect data. Keep the phone's own screen lock on as well, since AppLock alone does not protect the device.

Requirements

The developer does not publish a separate requirements list in our data. AppLock needs an Android phone or tablet, and the permission screens can look different depending on the manufacturer's version of Android.

Price

AppLock is listed as freeware. Free lockers are often supported by ads, so expect some advertising inside the app.

Tips

Keep a note of your code somewhere safe until you remember it. If you forget it, removing the app from Android settings is usually the only way back, which also removes all locks.

Pros and cons

• Pro: locks single apps without changing the whole phone.
• Pro: free.
• Pro: handy for parents sharing a phone with children.
• Con: needs broad permissions.
• Con: does not encrypt data.

Alternatives

Other Android tools on our site with a similar purpose include Calculator Lock HideX, which hides files behind a calculator screen, and DualSpace, which runs second copies of apps.