Google is gradually preparing for the release of Android 17, which is expected to include a native App Lock feature. This feature is designed to improve privacy by preventing sensitive app content from being displayed to others. According to Android Authority, the Android Canary 2601 build provides insight into how App Lock will handle notifications from locked apps.
Notifications from locked apps will be masked
Strings found in the Canary build indicate that notifications from locked apps will remain visible, but their content will be hidden:
This means:
- If Google Messages is locked, incoming messages will appear as “New message” instead of showing the message content.
- For other apps, notifications will display as “New notification”, keeping the content hidden.
This ensures that notification content is not exposed on the lock screen or in the notification shade.
It is not confirmed whether the app name and icon will be visible. Based on other Android implementations, it is likely they will remain displayed, helping users identify which app received the notification without revealing its contents.
Availability
As of now, this feature is experimental, and Google may modify how notifications from locked apps are handled in the final Android 17 release.