The short answer
For photos, use the Hidden album. For a document or two, attach them to a locked note. For anything that must stay closed to someone who knows your passcode, or must not sync to iCloud, put it in a vault app with its own passcode. Kryptis takes photos, videos and files, encrypts them on the phone, and organises them in albums and sub-albums.
Why Files cannot do it
The Files app has folders but no way to put a password on one. Anything in Files is protected by the device passcode like the rest of the phone, and iCloud Drive folders sync to every device on your Apple Account.
Option 1: the Hidden album
Photos and videos only. Touch and hold, Hide. Locked with Face ID since iOS 16, falls back to the passcode, still syncs to iCloud Photos. Details.
Option 2: a locked note
Notes can be locked with Face ID and the device passcode, or with a separate note password. You can attach photos, scans and files. It works for a handful of items. It is not a gallery, it does not encrypt attachments differently from the note, and by default the phone passcode opens it.
Option 3: hide an app
In iOS 18 and later, touch and hold an app icon and choose Hide. The app moves to a locked Hidden folder at the bottom of the App Library and needs Face ID or the passcode to open. That hides the app, not the files inside it, and the app's name still appears in Settings.
Option 4: a vault with its own passcode
Kryptis is a folder system behind a passcode that is not your phone passcode. Photos, videos and files are encrypted with AES-256-GCM on the device. Sub-albums nest as deep as you like. Nothing syncs to iCloud Photos, and the only backup is an encrypted file you place yourself. Face ID for the vault is optional and off by default.
Which one
| You want to hide | Use |
|---|---|
| A few photos from a casual glance | Hidden album |
| A scan or two from a casual glance | Locked note |
| The existence of an app | Hide app (iOS 18) |
| Anything from someone with your passcode | A vault with its own passcode |
| Anything that must not reach iCloud | A vault with its own storage |
