The short answer
Open Photos, touch and hold the photo, tap Hide. It moves to the Hidden album, which needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to open. That keeps it out of your library, other albums, the Photos widget and Memories. It does not encrypt the photo any differently, remove it from iCloud Photos, or stop anyone with your passcode.
Hide a photo
- Open Photos and find the photo or video.
- Touch and hold it, or open it and tap the three dots.
- Tap Hide, then confirm.
To hide several at once, tap Select, choose them, tap the three dots and tap Hide.
Find the Hidden album
In Photos, scroll to Utilities and tap Hidden. Unlock with Face ID or Touch ID. On older layouts the Hidden album sits under Albums.
Make the Hidden album disappear from Photos
Go to Settings, Apps, Photos, and turn off Show Hidden Album. The album stops appearing in Photos at all until you turn the switch back on. The photos are still there, and still synced.
What the Hidden album protects
- A friend, partner or child swiping through your library.
- The Photos widget, Memories and the For You suggestions.
- Someone who picks up your unlocked phone and opens Photos, because the album asks for Face ID.
What it does not protect
iCloud Photos. Hidden photos sync like any other photo. They appear in the Hidden album on every device signed in to your Apple Account with iCloud Photos on, including a shared family iPad or a Mac.
Backups. Hidden photos are part of your photo library and are included when the library is backed up.
Anyone with your passcode. Face ID falls back to the passcode. If someone knows it, the Hidden album opens.
The file itself. Hiding does not encrypt the photo separately from the rest of your library. It is the same file in a different album.
When hiding is enough
If the person you are thinking of is someone who might scroll too far, the Hidden album is the right tool. It is free, it is built in, and since iOS 16 it needs your face to open.
When you need a vault instead
If the person knows your passcode, if the photo must not reach iCloud or a shared device, or if you need the file to be unreadable rather than out of sight, hide it somewhere that encrypts it. Kryptis encrypts every photo and video with AES-256-GCM on the phone before it is stored, works with no account, and keeps its backup in your own iCloud already encrypted. It also gives you what a hiding place cannot: a decoy vault behind a second passcode, a passcode that erases everything, and a record of failed unlocks.
Whichever app you choose, check that its listing names the encryption and that its privacy label does not link your photos to you. How to check.
Remove the original after you move it
Moving a photo into a vault leaves the original in Photos until you delete it, and deleting it moves it to Recently Deleted for up to 30 days. Recently Deleted is locked with Face ID like the Hidden album, but it is still there. Delete from Recently Deleted too if the photo needs to be gone.
