How to hide photos on iPhone (and when the Hidden album isn't enough)
Short answer: open the photo, tap the ••• button, then tap Hide. It moves to the Hidden album, which iOS locks with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. That stops casual snooping. It doesn't help if someone knows your iPhone passcode, and the photo still syncs to iCloud.
Option 1: The Hidden album in Photos
Every iPhone has a Hidden album built into the Photos app. Hidden photos disappear from your library, Memories and widgets.
- Open Photos and tap the photo you want to hide. To hide several, tap Select and choose them.
- Tap the ••• (More) button.
- Tap Hide, then confirm.
To find them again, scroll down in Photos to Utilities (or Albums on older versions) and open Hidden. You'll need Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to open it.
Make sure the album is locked
On iOS 16 and later the Hidden album is locked by default. To check, go to Settings, open Photos (under Apps on iOS 18 and later) and make sure Use Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode) is on. You can also turn off Show Hidden Album so it doesn't appear in Photos at all.
Option 2: A locked note
The Notes app can lock individual notes, and a note can hold photos.
- Create a new note in Notes and add your photos with the camera or attachment button.
- Tap ••• and choose Lock.
- Choose your iPhone passcode or set a separate Notes password.
A separate Notes password is a real step up from the Hidden album, because knowing your phone passcode isn't enough to open it. It's clumsy for more than a handful of photos, though, and the original photos are still in your library until you delete them.
What these options don't protect against
- Anyone who knows your passcode. If Face ID fails, the Hidden album falls back to your iPhone passcode. A partner, child or anyone who has watched you unlock your phone can open it.
- iCloud. With iCloud Photos on, hidden photos sync to every device signed in to your Apple Account. They're only end-to-end encrypted if you've turned on Advanced Data Protection.
- Leftover copies. Photos you've shared in messaging apps, or that were backed up by other apps, aren't affected by hiding.
Want photos only you can open?
Olivenlock encrypts photos on your iPhone with a passcode that's separate from your phone's. Nothing is uploaded and there are no accounts. Even someone who knows your iPhone passcode can't get in.
Option 3: A dedicated vault app
Vault apps keep photos in their own storage with their own passcode. They vary a lot, so check three things before you trust one:
- Is it encrypted, or just hidden? Some apps only hide files behind a PIN screen. Look for actual encryption, ideally a named standard like AES-256.
- Where do the files go? An app that uploads your photos to its own servers is asking you to trust the company too. On-device storage avoids that.
- What happens if you forget the passcode? If the company can reset it for you, the company can get in. A truly private vault can't be recovered without your passcode.
After you move a photo, delete the original
Whichever option you choose, delete the original from your library afterwards. Then open Recently Deleted under Utilities and delete it there too. Otherwise it stays on your phone for 30 days.