5 unique ways I use Android 15's Private Space

The secret is out: Private Space is a very powerful, Pixel-only (sadly) feature. When Android 15 landed with Private Space in tow, I realized that it’s a very powerful and unique addition to my Android phone that enables me to do things I couldn’t before. I’ve come across five different use cases for Private Space that make it essential for me because of security, privacy, distraction management, or convenience.

Hiding financial apps for extra security

If my Android phone falls into the hands of a thief, especially if they manage to snatch it from me when it’s unlocked or if they somehow steal my PIN code, I don’t want them to have access to my most sensitive apps. Hiding financial apps under Private Space, and making sure Private Space itself is hidden too, adds one more layer of security. This ensures that thieves or nosy people either don’t see these apps at all or aren’t able to access them because they’re locked behind a different PIN code.

Regarding day-to-day use, I do leave one banking app in the main app drawer, though — usually the one with the smallest account and no credit card access. The other apps often live in my Private Space, though I’ve had to make peace with the fact that I never receive any notifications from them because of the feature’s limitation. Hiding financial apps from my drawer is an extra layer or protection against petty thieves and prying eyes.

Sandboxing privacy-hogging apps

Private Space isolates and deprives privacy-hogging apps. The feature essentially sandboxes and quarantines apps in a separate environment with no access to my contacts, calendar, files, photos, or anything else on my phone. And that’s absolutely perfect when I want to use an app that I don’t completely trust. Private Space is a perfect way to quarantine problematic apps and give them zero front- or back-door access to my data.

No matter the reason, if there’s an app I’m not so sure about or want to keep away from the rest of my phone, then Private Space is where I’ll install it. That way I know that I’m giving it less room to roam and less data to siphon by default. Plus, when Private Space is locked, potentially problematic apps can’t perform any background actions, use any of my phone’s sensors, or track me across other apps.

Managing secondary Google accounts

Another unique way I use this feature is that my least used Google account lives in Private Space. I have four Google accounts, three of which I use daily (personal, work, and shared with my husband). The fourth one is an old shared account that my husband and I created. It was meant to help us get access to Google features and apps that were available in the EU.

Experiments with security and automation

I’ve also tried putting the apps for my smart lock and security system in Private Space to stop anyone from opening my front door or disarming my alarm. However, the problem is that I do definitely rely on getting notifications from these apps. Similarly, I also attempted to hide 1Password, my password manager, to keep any passwords away from prying eyes, but I noticed that I heavily rely on it as an autofill solution and I can’t use that if it’s locked in private.

Use Case Comparison

Use Case	Primary Benefit	Main Limitation
Financial Apps	Protection against thieves and prying eyes	No real-time notifications
Privacy-Hogging Apps	Zero access to contacts, files, or sensors	Restricted background actions
Secondary Accounts	Isolation from main Google environment	Manual access required