How to hide photos on iPhone: 3 ways that work
There are three practical ways to hide photos on an iPhone. They differ a lot in how private they really are.
The short answer
To hide photos on iPhone, open the photo, tap the More button (…) and choose Hide. It moves to the Hidden album, which is locked with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. For stronger privacy, put photos in a locked note or in an encrypted vault app with its own lock, and delete the originals from Recently Deleted.
Way 1: The Hidden album in Photos
Open the photo, tap the More button (…), and tap Hide. To hide many at once, tap Select, choose the photos, then tap More and Hide.
Hidden photos leave your Library view and move to the Hidden album under Utilities. On iOS 16 and later, the album needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to open. You can also turn off Show Hidden Album in Settings > Apps > Photos.
Good for: keeping photos out of your main grid. Weak point: anyone who knows your iPhone passcode can open it.
Way 2: A locked note
In the Notes app, create a note, add photos with the camera button, then tap More and Lock. You can use your device passcode or a separate Notes password.
Good for: a few photos or scans. Weak points: videos and PDFs cannot be locked in a note, and Apple cannot recover a forgotten separate Notes password.
Way 3: An encrypted vault app
A vault app stores photos in its own encrypted space with its own lock. In Hidegrid, for example, you draw a pattern on a 5×5 grid, and that pattern creates the key that decrypts your files.
To move photos in: open a vault, tap Import, choose Photos, select the pictures and let the app delete the originals. Then go to Albums > Recently Deleted in Photos and delete them there too.
Good for: many photos and videos, documents, separate vaults for different things, and protection from people who know your passcode. Check that the app explains its encryption and does not require an account you do not want.
Don't forget Recently Deleted
When you delete a photo, iOS keeps it in Recently Deleted for up to 30 days. Empty that album after you move photos to a vault, or the originals are still on your phone.
Which way should you pick?
If you only want photos out of sight, the Hidden album is fine. If others know your passcode, or you want to keep videos and files private too, use an encrypted vault app.
How to move photos from your iPhone library into an encrypted vault
- Open Hidegrid and draw your pattern to unlock a vault.
- Tap Import and choose Photos.
- Select the photos and videos you want to hide.
- Allow Hidegrid to delete the originals from Photos.
- In the Photos app, open Recently Deleted and delete the photos there too.