Is my Android phone encrypted?

Android encrypts your data by default on any phone sold in recent years. The details sit in Google’s developer documentation rather than in Settings, so this guide puts them in plain words. We checked the Android Open Source Project pages, the Pixel Phone Help pages and Android Help on 2026-10-09.

Which Android phones are encrypted?

Android has used two kinds of device encryption:

Kind	Android versions	Today
Full-disk encryption	Android 5.0 to Android 9	Not allowed on new phones running Android 10 and higher
File-based encryption	Android 7.0 and later	Required on every phone that launches with Android 10 and higher

So a phone that came out with Android 10 or a later version must use file-based encryption. Google’s Pixel help page also says every Pixel phone is encrypted by default.

With file-based encryption, different files use different keys. Android 9 added metadata encryption on phones with the right hardware. It covers the things file-based encryption does not, such as folder layouts, file sizes and dates.

How to check on your phone

Google’s Pixel help lists Encryption & credentials in the advanced part of the security settings:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Security (on newer Pixel phones, Security & privacy).
3. Open the advanced settings and find Encryption & credentials.

Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and others place this screen in their own menus. If you cannot find it, check when your phone launched. A phone that launched with Android 10 or later is encrypted by rule.

What gets encrypted

Google’s Pixel help says that on an encrypted device “all personal data gets encrypted”. It lists email, texts, contacts, Google Account data, app data, photos, media and downloads. Some data that is not personal, such as file sizes, is not encrypted.

Android splits storage in two. Credential Encrypted storage holds most app data and is available only after you unlock the phone. Device Encrypted storage is available at start-up too, so alarms and calls can work before you unlock. Android’s documentation says files should go in Credential Encrypted storage wherever possible.

Why the screen lock matters

Encryption keys are only as strong as what protects them. Google gives three pieces of advice:

• Use a PIN, pattern or password. Google says a swipe or no lock “gives no protection”. It recommends a 6-digit PIN or longer.
• Ask for it at start-up. For the most protection on an encrypted device, Google says to always require your PIN, pattern or password when the phone starts.
• Back up with a real lock. Google says your backups are encrypted with your screen lock only if you use a PIN, pattern or password.

What encryption does not protect

• An unlocked phone. Google says encryption stores data “in a form that can be read only when your phone or tablet is unlocked”. Anyone who knows your screen lock sees what you see. Our guide to locking photos on Android covers locks that differ from it.
• Google Photos backups. Google says data moves to its servers encrypted, but photos and videos in Google Photos are not encrypted with your screen lock. Read does Google Photos scan your photos.
• Chat apps and shared albums. Each one keeps its own copy under its own rules.

How York Vault adds a second layer

York Vault encrypts each photo, video and file with its own 256-bit key before it saves it. File names, dates and thumbnails are encrypted too. On Android, its keys live in Android Keystore, in StrongBox on phones that have it. York Vault opens with its own PIN, passcode or pattern, not your screen lock. Fingerprint or face unlock is optional, and only where Android rates it as strong. See York Vault on Android and end-to-end encryption.

The free backup goes to a hidden app folder in your own Google Drive, encrypted by York Vault before upload. See how York Vault backs up on Android. The iPhone side works the same way, explained in is my iPhone encrypted. Download York Vault on Google Play.