Google is introducing a much-needed privacy upgrade for cars running Android Automotive: the ability to lock certain apps behind a PIN. Officially known as “Sensitive App Protection,” this feature finally eliminates a major problem for anyone who shares their vehicle with family members, passengers, or valets. Until now, unlocking your driver profile was an all-or-nothing deal – as soon as you opened the screen to allow a friend to choose a song, they had full access to your messages, search history and personal information.
A more granular approach to data protection in shared vehicles
While Android Automotive has supported PIN-protected profiles for some time, these protections basically disappear once you hand the screen over to someone else for navigation or music. Sensitive App Protection introduces the missing granularity. Drivers can now keep their private apps and browser data under wraps without disabling core functions like Google Maps or the Assistant that actually make the car usable.
You can find the new system under Settings > Privacy > App Lock. It allows you to set a 4 to 16 digit PIN that is completely independent of your main profile code. Once it’s set up, you can choose which apps to hide – think WhatsApp, Chrome or banking tools. To ensure safety while driving, important system apps remain unlocked by default. If you forget your PIN, you can reset it using your Google Account. However, note that this may require deleting the blocked app’s data to ensure your safety.
This is important because cars are fundamentally shared spaces
Whether you’re giving a playlist to a passenger on a road trip or handing the keys to a valet, it’s far too easy to accidentally reveal personal information. This app-level lock acts like a digital filter, allowing you to share the “smart” parts of your car without giving up your entire digital life.
Technically, Google created this as an unbundled system app rather than integrating it directly into the core OS. This means it will be up to automakers to extend this to their vehicles, similar to how the recent dashcam feature was handled. The code is also open source, so brands can customize it to fit their own dashboard styles. Owners of cars with “Google Built-in” – like Volvo, Polestar, GM and Honda – should be the first to see this on their screens via over-the-air updates.
While Google is also working on a similar App Lock API for smartphones in the future, this release is a turnkey solution designed specifically for the unique multi-user environment of the modern cockpit. As we spend more and more time with our cars, these types of locks are likely to become the new standard for both family SUVs and professional fleets.
