Samsung's Privacy Screen Feature to Curb Shoulder Surfing Unveiled After Multiple Leaks; Expected to Debut With Galaxy S26 Series

The Samsung Galaxy S26 series, which is expected to include the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra, is expected to launch in February. While various specifications and features of the three smartphones have surfaced online, the tech firm has yet to announce any plans to launch new handsets next month. However, the company has now unveiled a new privacy screen feature that will soon make its way to Galaxy devices. With this privacy layer, the smartphone maker aims to curb shoulder surfing, making it hard for people next to the user to peep into the phone. However, Samsung did not reveal whether this feature will be released to existing Galaxy devices or will be exclusively available on future smartphones.

Samsung Demonstrates Its Upcoming Privacy Screen Feature

On Wednesday, the South Korean smartphone maker announced that it will soon bring a new privacy layer to its Galaxy devices. This privacy feature will help in curbing shoulder surfing, where the screen will only be visible to the user, while people standing next to them will not be able to see what's on the screen. The company's teaser suggests that it will be effective when others are not viewing the display straight-on.

This would be an added layer of security for Galaxy devices, empowering users to reveal what is on their screens only to people whom they wish to show it to. The new privacy layer will allow users to customise when the feature will activate, while also enabling them to choose specific apps where they would like to have a greater level of privacy.

Samsung demonstrated in a video that the privacy screen feature automatically activated when a user was entering her phone's passcode, while being dimly lit or hardly visible to people standing next to her inside a lift.

Moreover, Samsung says that the privacy layer will ship with “multiple settings”, allowing users to adjust the screen visibility to limit what others can see “based on the level of privacy protection”. Users will also be able to put “parts of their experience” behind the privacy layer, including notification pop-ups.

They will also have the option to adjust other aspects of the feature, or they can switch it off entirely. The company highlighted that the privacy feature is a result of five years of “engineering, testing, and refining”.