HushkeeperHow to hide photos on iPhone
There are four realistic ways to hide photos on an iPhone. They range from "out of the camera roll" to "unreadable without a key only you have". Pick based on who you're hiding them from.
Updated
Quick guide. Showing someone your camera roll? Use the Hidden album. Someone else knows your passcode or shares your iCloud? Use an app with its own key, such as an encrypted vault. And whatever you choose, empty Recently Deleted afterwards.
1. Use the Hidden album (built in, free)
- Open Photos and touch and hold the photo or video. To hide several, tap Select first.
- Tap Hide and confirm.
- The items disappear from your Library, other albums and the Photos widget and move to Hidden under Utilities.
On iOS 16 and later the Hidden album is locked and opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. If you use iCloud Photos, hidden items are hidden on your other devices too.
Good for: keeping a few photos out of sight when you hand your phone to someone. Not good for: anyone who knows your passcode, because the same passcode opens the album.
2. Turn off the Hidden album entirely
If you don't want the album to show up in Photos at all, open Settings → Apps → Photos (on older versions, Settings → Photos) and turn off Show Hidden Album. Hidden items stay hidden; they just aren't listed anywhere in the app until you switch it back on.
This removes the obvious "there's something in here" signal, but anyone who knows where the switch is can turn it back on.
3. Put photos in a locked note
- In Notes, create a note and add the photos with the camera or attachment button.
- Tap the More button (•••) and choose Lock.
- Choose whether to use your iPhone passcode or a separate Notes password.
Choosing a separate Notes password is the point: then knowing your iPhone passcode isn't enough. Notes isn't built for large photo collections or video, though, and remember to delete the originals from Photos.
4. Use an encrypted vault app
A vault app gives photos their own lock that's independent from your phone. The important word is encrypted: some apps only put a passcode screen in front of ordinary files. Look for an app that says which algorithm it uses, doesn't need an account that could be reset by email, and backs up only encrypted data.
Hushkeeper, for example, encrypts every photo, video and document with AES-256-GCM behind a pattern that isn't your passcode, lets each pattern open a separate vault, and backs up only ciphertext to your own iCloud. Our guide Are calculator vault apps safe? has a checklist you can use for any vault app.
Don't forget these three things
- Recently Deleted. When you move photos into a vault and delete them from Photos, they stay in Recently Deleted for up to 30 days. Open it and delete them there too.
- Shared albums and messages. Hiding a photo doesn't remove copies you've already sent or added to a shared album.
- Location data. A photo you share may reveal where it was taken. See how to remove location from photos.
Which method should you use?
| Worried about… | Enough |
|---|---|
| Someone scrolling your camera roll | Hidden album |
| Someone who knows Photos well | Hidden album turned off |
| Someone who knows your passcode | Locked note with its own password, or a vault app |
| A shared iPad or Mac on your Apple ID | A vault app with its own key |
| Documents like ID scans and contracts | An encrypted vault app |
Free tools for this
See and remove photo metadata
See what a photo reveals — GPS location, camera, date, AI and Content Credentials markers — and download a clean copy without re-encoding the image.
Blur faces and redact photos
Hide faces, names, card numbers and addresses in photos and screenshots with a solid box, pixelation or blur.
Keep reading
iPhone Hidden album vs Hushkeeper
The iPhone Hidden album is free and built in, but it is locked by your device passcode and syncs with iCloud Photos. Here is when it is enough and when an encrypted vault is better.
Are calculator vault apps safe?
Calculator vault apps hide photos behind a fake calculator. A disguise isn't the same as encryption. Here's what to check before trusting any photo vault app with private files.
How to remove location from photos on iPhone
iPhone photos usually store the exact GPS location where they were taken. Here's how to strip it when sharing, remove it from saved photos, stop the Camera saving it, and check any photo for free.