Samsung teases new privacy feature to hide your Galaxy phone screen from onlookers | TechCrunch
Samsung today previewed a privacy feature that will prevent others from peeking at your phone screen and viewing its content.
While the company didn’t provide specifics about the technology, it said that Galaxy smartphone owners will be able to control what others around them can see on their phone, based on the privacy protection they need.
The Korean tech company said that users will be able to customize this feature to work with specific apps or while entering passcodes, PINs, patterns, or passwords, with multiple settings for adjusting visibility of on-screen content.
The feature is likely to launch with the company’s upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra.
“Our phones are our most personal space, but we use them in the least private places…That’s why Samsung will soon unveil a new layer of privacy to shield your phone from shoulder surfing wherever you go. You’ll have the space to check your messages or enter a password on public transit without thinking twice about who might be watching,” the company noted in a newsroom announcement.
The company added that you will also be able to hide certain parts of the phone from onlookers, such as the notification pop-up area. Samsung said that it is using a mix of hardware and software to achieve its results.
An online tipster who goes by the name of Ice Universe posted screenshots on X about the feature, showing how the notification area blanks out at an angle. That means smartphone owners will be able to see the content, but someone sitting next to them might not be able to. If the feature works, people may no longer need to buy separate privacy guard protectors.
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Using smartphones in public places can be risky. As users enter private information, such as passwords, any onlooker could view these details. A few years ago, The Wall Street Journal reported that thieves often watched users enter their passcodes and used that info to lock victims out of their accounts. To prevent this from happening, Apple released a “Stolen Device Protection” update in iOS 17.3 that required users to use FaceID or Touch ID before changing sensitive settings or accessing saved payment methods.
Samsung hasn’t given a definitive date of release of the feature or the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Reports suggest that the company will hold an event in February to launch the device.
