What is a good (free, ad free, gsf free) app to lock specific apps?
<https://play.google.com/store/search?q=pin%20lock%20app&c=apps>

Most Android phones, I think, support all the standard unlock mechanisms:
a. Pin
b. Pattern
c. Fingerprint
d. Face
e. App-specific locks (that are part of the app, e.g., keepass)
f. *App-specific locks* (which are add ons to any given app)

A perhaps far better use model than unlocking your phone each time you want
to do anything (like check the weather), could be to simply lock those apps
which you want to have a lock on (freeing up the rest of the phone).

The problem is that _many_ app-specific app lockers are out there:
<https://play.google.com/store/search?q=app%20locker&c=apps>

The goal here is to find the _best_ one out there for our needs.
1. free, ad free, (hopefully gsf free)
2. functional (various app-specific locks & methods)
3. secure (not sure how to test the security yet)
etc.

One example of an app-specific lock is this random hit from a search:
*Norton App Lock* by Norton Labs, 4.5, 5M+ free, adfree, requires GSF
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.symantec.applock>
"Add PIN, password or pattern lock screen security to lock apps that
don't have it. Lock one or more app with the same 4-digit PIN pass code"

Or this hit when I filtered out gsf-dependent apps in aurora:
*Lock App* by Anuj Tenani, 4.6, 1M+ free, adfree, GSFfree,
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hideitpro.app.protect>
"Super secret mode - Hide icon of the app, Pin Lock, Pattern Lock,
Password Lock and intuitive Crash Screen Lock"

Since it's only used when an app is opened, we can seek out the more secure
lock mechanisms which have a huge convenience benefit over homescreen locks.

For example, in a recent thread, nospam claimed the following.
"a 4 digit passcode can be cracked in less than about 13 minutes,
a 6 digit passcode in less than about 22 hours
and a 10 digit passcode will take around 25 years."
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/orX_JvkNJZk/m/UQehjnBOBQAJ>

Furthermore, in that same post, nospam claimed the following:
"alphanumeric passcodes push the amount of time into thousands or
millions of years..."

But the real issue for full-phone secure lock is the following:
"however, they're a lot less convenient than a 10+ digit numeric passcode,
which offers sufficient security for most people without much hassle."

Since you infrequently use them, those apps can use more secure mechanisms
than the lock screen gimmicks that come with most phones nowadays.

Given the whole reason people use the intensely advertised face id gimmick
is that it's convenient (except when wearing masks) and given most people
don't live in the slums (so they don't need the entire phone to be locked
since nobody is snatching the phone out of their hands), what they still may
need are a few of their more private apps to have their own passcodes.

Almost all the apps which typically require privacy _already_ have the
passcode as part of the app (e.g., Keepass or EDS or Password Vault, etc.)
as would any decent banking app application too.

However some apps which require a password don't have the mechanism for
having the password separate from the phone lock (e.g., the GMail app).

And others that might contain private information don't have any mechanism
to lock that specific app (e.g., your contacts or your phone dialer, etc.).
One question is whether they can put a different passcode on each app?

With all that in the background, the focus of this thread is to find a good
app-specific lock app that is functional and free and ad free.

Every thread should strive to add value for now & for the future.

To give an indication of what the problem is in choosing the best app
locker, these are just some that I found which are free & ad free.

They're in alphabetical order below as I haven't tested all of them yet.
Note _all_ the lock methods in Android are supported, including pin,
pattern, fingerprint and face (and even face + voice for one of them).

*2020AppLock* by UnfoldLabs, 100K+, 3.8 free, adfree, reqGSF
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.unfoldlabs.applock2020>

*App Lock* by MultimediaSoft, no rating, 5K+, free, adfree reqGSF
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mms.applock.apphidder>

*App Lock* by SYSTWEAK 3.8, 50K+, free, adfree, reqGSF
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.systweak.applocker>

*AppLock Face/Voice* by Sensory, 3.9, 1M+, free, adfree, reqGSF
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sensory.tsapplock>

*Applock Pattern Lock* by SMTOOL, no rating, 50K+, free, adfree, gsffree
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.applock.fingerprint.password>

*Applock* by deng, 4.6, 100K+, free, adfree, reqGSF
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.superluck.applock>

*FingerSecurity* by Rick Clephas, 4.0, 1M+, free, adfree, reqGSF
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rickclephas.fingersecurity>

*Lock App* by Anuj Tenani, 4.6, 1M+ free, adfree, GSFfree,
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hideitpro.app.protect>

*Norton App Lock* by Norton Labs, 4.5, 5M+ free, adfree, requires GSF
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.symantec.applock>

*Privacy AppLock* by Enjoyvalley, 4.0, 100K+, free, adfree, reqGSF
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.enjoyvalley.applock>

*Private Zone - AppLock* by Private Zone, 4.2, 1M+, free, adfree, reqGSF
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.htwk.privatezone>
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