Android 17 leak suggests notification details from locked apps will be hidden

Google appears to be tightening Android’s privacy screws with its upcoming release, and this time the focus is on what your phone reveals when it lights up. Fresh leaks from Android 17’s Canary build suggest the operating system’s long-rumoured native app lock could also limit what notifications show on your screen.

According to a new report, notifications from locked apps will still arrive in Android 17, but without giving anything meaningful away. The alert shows up, but the content stays hidden.

Locked apps, discreet alerts

The idea is simple but powerful. Lock an app like WhatsApp, and new messages will still trigger a notification on your lock screen or status bar. What you will not see is the message preview or chat details. To read what came in, you will need to unlock the app using biometrics or another secure method.

It is still unclear whether the app name itself will remain visible in these notifications. Several Android skins already do this, and Google is likely to follow a similar approach rather than making alerts completely anonymous.

A system-level solution, at last

This behaviour builds on earlier signs of a native App Lock API taking shape inside Android 17. Instead of relying on third-party apps or uneven OEM implementations, Google seems to be working on a standard, system-level way to lock individual apps.

If it ships as expected, users could manually or automatically lock selected apps, with unlocking tied directly to biometrics. Banking apps, work tools, and messaging platforms are obvious candidates. Anyone who has ever handed over their Pixel for “just a second” will understand the appeal.

The feature is still under development and has not been officially announced. But its steady evolution suggests it is more than an experiment.

If Google maintains its current pace, Android 17 could launch with native app locking enabled on Pixel devices and on other phones running close-to-stock Android. What do you think of this feature? Drop a comment with your thoughts!