Encrypting files on Android allows you to prevent these files from being stolen, and even if they are stolen they would be unreadable as long as they are not decrypted with a suitable key. What it does is present the file as garbled information, usually with an AES 128 or AES 256 standard that essentially makes the information impossible to decipher. Here's how to encrypt the files on your Android device , whether you want to encrypt your entire phone or just specific files.
How to encrypt all storage on Android
The most complete Android encryption method is to encrypt all storage, which is a feature that you can easily use as it is included in the operating system.
This option will lock your Android device behind a password and / or PIN . You must bear in mind that in less powerful devices, it can cause some slowdown by adding extra work to the processor.
To do this, if you are on Android 7.0 or higher, you must go to "Settings -> Security -> Encrypt phone".
There is a possibility that you need to unlock the developer options to encrypt your phone. To turn it on, you must go to “Settings -> Phone information -> Build number and tap seven times to unlock the development options.
In the development options you should find the option to "Enable file encryption" or something similar to activate this feature. However, keep in mind that this will erase everything on your device and it will start over.
How to encrypt specific files on Android
To encrypt the files of a device, we can use an application called Andrognito . This app uses 256-bit encryption algorithm to protect your files safely.
To use it you just have to follow the following steps:
- Head over to the Google Play store and download and install Andrognito on your device.
- Launch the app.
- When the application starts for the first time, you must enter your name and a four-digit PIN that will protect your files.
- Enter the four-digit PIN again to confirm.
- It will ask you to create a security question to create an extra layer of security.
- Enter a name for the vault and a four-digit PIN.
- Now you can start adding files to the vault for encryption.
Selected files will be encrypted using a military grade 256-bit AES encryption algorithm . If someone has access to these files, they will not be able to read them unless they have the key that was used to encrypt the files.
If you want to decrypt the files at any time, you can do it very easily using the same Andrognito application by following the steps described below:
- Open the Andrognito application.
- Enter your PIN to access protected data.
- You should be able to see all the files that you have encrypted so far. Touch and hold on the ones you want to decrypt, then touch the unlock icon that appears in the upper right corner.
Your files are now decrypted again, and are no longer part of the vault you previously created. This means that you can already access them as normal files, just as you did before encrypting them.
This is all you need to know to be able to encrypt the files on your Android phone, we hope you find it very useful.