Note (September 2026): Hexlock is no longer listed on Google Play, and its last release (version 2.0.137) dates from May 2019, so it can no longer be recommended as the best app locker for Android. The review below describes the app as it was; the built-in Android alternatives added at the end are the current options.
Hexlock was a free Android app locker from Liquidum Limited that locked apps with a PIN or pattern, offered fingerprint unlock on some devices, auto-switching profiles and a media vault. As of September 2026, Hexlock is no longer listed on Google Play and its last release dates from May 2019. Android’s built-in private space (Android 15 and up) now does the same job.
Key Takeaways
- Hexlock was an Android app locker developed by Liquidum Limited; its final version, 2.0.137, was released in May 2019.
- As of September 2026, the Hexlock page on Google Play returns a “not found” error, so the app cannot be installed from the official store.
- An app that has not been updated since 2019 has not received security fixes since then, so downloading an old copy from a third-party APK site is not a sensible way to protect private data.
- Android 15 and up includes private space, a separately locked area that hides apps; Files by Google, Google Photos and Samsung phones also include their own locked folders.
- App pinning, built into Android, keeps one app on screen and asks for your PIN, pattern or password before anyone can leave it.
It has been rightly said that smartphones have managed to take over maximum part of our lives because most of the people depend on their smartphones and tablets for storing important data. Be it at home or in the office, people prefer working more on smartphones and tablets rather than on laptops now. You might have the data on your smartphone or tablet which you don’t want to share with your family or friends. And there are those business people who prefer keeping their business related information stored on their devices.
Hexlock App – Smart Privacy Protection
But, recently, I did receive few inquiries associated with the protection of the data from the unauthorized users. So, if you are concerned about the privacy of the data stored on your smartphone or tablet, then you must install an app locker on the device.
The app locker is an app which you must install on the device on which you want to lock the data for your own use and don’t want others to have an access to the same. It helps in protecting the data by locking it. And yes, the app lockers offers a number of ways to lock the data on a device including using a password, PIN lock, fingerprint lock, pattern lock, etc.
Luckily, we have numerous app lockers available out there for the smartphones and tablets. And this actually makes it a difficult task for the people to choose the best one among all. This review looks at Hexlock, an app locker that was popular with Android users in the late 2010s. Read on for its features, its status as of September 2026 and the built-in Android options that now do the same job.
Hexlock App Locker
Hexlock is an app locker application for Android that was released free of charge by Liquidum Limited. As of September 2026, Hexlock is no longer listed on Google Play, and its last release, version 2.0.137, dates from May 2019. This app does offer a lot of features to the users for protecting the private data from an access by the unauthorized users. When this review was first written, the app was reported to have more than 1 million Android users; that figure can no longer be checked because the Google Play listing has been removed. The original review rated this app locker 4.5 out of 5 stars. Check out the detailed review below.
Hexlock User Interface
Personally, I just loved the UI of Hexlock app because it is really cool and an amazing one. Apart from this, it is user-friendly. It is responsive as well as attractive and fast. It has got a new material design which makes it look cool and awesome. The interface of Hexlock doesn’t have any unusual animations or transactions which interrupt while navigating and thus makes it the best app locker for all the devices including the ones which have low internal memory.
Key Features of Hexlock
In this section, I will talk about the notable features of Hexlock app locker. These features together make this app locker the best and the smart app locker for Android.
Automatic App Locker
The Hexlock app locker provides the users with a feature of advanced security. YES. This app actually locks the apps automatically after you enable the feature of auto locking app. This feature is preferred mostly while connecting to WiFi.
Auto-Switching Profiles
You might be thinking that what kind of feature is this. Believe me, it is an awesome feature offered by Hexlock. You can create multiple profiles under one category like school, work, parental, home, etc. And you can unlock or lock the profiles according to your needs. This feature even helps the user in switching to different profile while connecting through WiFi. And when you disconnect from the connected WiFi, this feature will revert you back to the previous profile.
Fingerprint Lock
Most of the devices these days have an inbuilt feature of fingerprint lock which helps in an advanced security of the device. The Hexlock app also offers the fingerprint lock feature to the users which help in protecting the apps with a fingerprint lock. When this review was written, the Hexlock fingerprint feature worked only on Samsung devices. The wider support that was expected never arrived through Hexlock, because the app has not been updated since May 2019; Android itself has offered a standard fingerprint API since Android 6.0 Marshmallow, released on September 29, 2015.
Customization
There are only a few apps which offer a customization feature for a smartphone or a tablet. One of those apps is the Hexlock which allow the users to customize the background as well as the lock screen easily. It even allows the users to add a custom photo or use solid colors on the lock screen.
Media Vault
Media Vault feature of Hexlock allows the users to hide the important data including the videos and images easily. It is not required to install any more apps for this task.
The original review found that the Hexlock app lock worked consistently. Hexlock was free to download, but it showed in-app ads that could be removed with a small in-app purchase. Because the app is no longer on Google Play, that purchase is no longer offered.
Verdict
Hexlock app locker was a smart locker for Android apps, built to protect the private data stored on a device. Its standout features were customization, automatic app locking and auto-switching profiles. However, because Hexlock has not been updated since May 2019 and is no longer on Google Play, it can no longer be recommended as the best app locker for Android as of September 2026.
Instead of hunting for an unmaintained copy of Hexlock on your Android smartphone or tablet, use the built-in options described below, and share your experiences with us in the comment section below.
Is Hexlock Still Available?
Hexlock is no longer available from Google Play as of September 2026: the app’s store address (package name com.liquidum.hexlock) returns a “not found” page. Third-party APK archives list version 2.0.137 as the final release, published in May 2019 with a changelog that mentions only bug fixes for stability. Uptodown lists Android 6.0 or higher as the requirement for that version.
Because Hexlock has not been updated for more than seven years, it has not received security fixes or compatibility updates for newer Android versions. Android has also tightened its rules on older apps: starting with Android 14, apps with a targetSdkVersion lower than 23 cannot be installed, which Google says makes it harder for malware to avoid newer security protections. For these reasons, installing an old Hexlock APK from a mirror site is not a good way to protect private data.
How to Lock Apps on Android Without Hexlock
Android now includes several built-in ways to lock or hide apps, files and photos, so a third-party app locker is often unnecessary. The table below compares the main options, based on Google’s and Samsung’s own help pages as of September 2026.
| Feature | What it protects | How it is locked | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private space | Whole apps, hidden from the launcher, recent apps, sharing sheets and Settings | Device screen lock or a separate private space lock | Android 15 and up, on supporting hardware |
| App pinning | Keeps one app on screen so others cannot open other apps | PIN, pattern or password required to unpin (when enabled) | Built into Android Settings |
| Safe folder (Files by Google) | Files such as documents, photos and videos | PIN or pattern | Android 8.0 and up |
| Locked Folder (Google Photos) | Photos and videos, hidden from the grid, search, memories and albums | Device screen lock | Google Photos app |
| Secure Folder (Samsung) | Photos, videos, files, apps and data, encrypted by Samsung Knox | Passcode or biometric lock | Samsung Galaxy devices |
How to set up private space on Android
Private space is Android’s built-in replacement for an app locker. Google’s Android Help lists these steps:
- Open Settings and tap Security & privacy, then Private space.
- Confirm your identity with your device screen lock.
- Tap Set up and choose a lock: the same lock as your device, or a new one just for private space.
- Optionally sign in with a separate Google Account.
- Install the apps you want to hide inside private space.
According to Google, apps in a locked private space are completely stopped and cannot show notifications. Google recommends a separate Google Account, because with your main account, synced data such as photos, files, emails and contacts stays visible outside private space. Private space is not restored from a device backup, and if you forget the private space lock you cannot open it and must delete it using your device PIN.
How to use app pinning
App pinning is useful when you hand your phone to someone and want them to stay in one app. Google’s Android Help describes it this way:
- Open Settings, tap Security (or Security & location), then Advanced and App pinning, and turn it on.
- Open the screen you want to pin, swipe up to the middle of the screen and hold.
- Tap the app’s icon at the top of the preview and tap Pin.
- To unpin with gesture navigation, swipe up and hold; with 3-button navigation, touch and hold Back and Overview. Enter your PIN, pattern or password if asked.
Menu names vary between phone makers and Android versions, so the exact path on your phone may differ slightly.
Hiding files and photos
Hexlock’s Media Vault has two direct built-in equivalents. The Safe folder in Files by Google hides files behind a PIN or pattern on Android 8.0 and up; Google warns that if you forget the PIN or pattern you cannot access the files, and installed apps cannot be moved into it. Locked Folder in Google Photos hides photos and videos behind the device screen lock, and backup to your Google Account is optional; without backup, the items are lost if you uninstall the app, clear its data or factory reset the phone.
On Samsung Galaxy phones, Secure Folder stores photos, videos, files, apps and data in a space that Samsung says is encrypted by its Knox security platform and protected with a passcode or biometric lock.
What to Check Before Installing Any App Locker
If you still prefer a third-party app locker, a few checks help separate a maintained app from an abandoned one:
- Official store listing: install only from Google Play or your phone maker’s store, not from APK mirror sites.
- Recent updates: check the last-updated date in the store listing; an app that has not been updated for years may not work on current Android versions.
- Permissions: read what the app asks for and why, and be wary of an app locker that requests more access than locking apps needs.
- Strong unlock method: a longer PIN or password is harder to guess than a short one; a secure password generator can help you create one.
For a broader look at locking your phone, see our guide to Android lock screen apps. To protect accounts as well as apps, read how to pick a reliable password manager, check our list of antivirus apps for Android, and review these ways to stay private online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hexlock still available on Google Play?
No. As of September 2026, the Hexlock listing on Google Play returns a “not found” page. The last version of Hexlock, 2.0.137, was released in May 2019, so the app has not been updated since then.
Who made the Hexlock app?
Hexlock was developed by Liquidum Limited, which released it for Android as a free app locker with PIN and pattern locks, profiles and a media vault for photos and videos.
Does Android have a built-in app lock?
Yes. Android 15 and up includes private space, which hides apps in a separate area protected by the device lock or its own lock. Android also has app pinning, which keeps one app on screen until your PIN, pattern or password is entered.
How can I hide photos on Android without an app locker?
Google Photos has a Locked Folder that hides photos and videos behind your screen lock, and Files by Google has a Safe folder protected by a PIN or pattern. Samsung Galaxy phones also include Secure Folder.
Is it safe to install the Hexlock APK from a third-party site?
It is not recommended. Hexlock has not been updated since May 2019, so it lacks years of security fixes, and APK mirror sites are not the official store. Built-in Android features offer the same kind of protection without that risk.
What happens if I forget my private space lock?
According to Google, if you forget the private space unlock method you cannot access the space. Private space can then be deleted using your device PIN.
3 Comments
Good article Priya. Best review of Hexlock app!
I would like to have your reviews on Hexlock App. Please do try and share with us.
Thank You for appreciating.
Thanks a lot for the lovely article of Hexlock app. I really appreciate the hard work you put in it.