No matter who you are, you probably use your iPhone’s Photos app a lot, since anything that takes a photo or video using the standard camera app, and many other camera apps, lands there. And the chances are high that you have an image or video that you don’t want anyone to see.
It could be evidence to implicate you in cheating or lying, photos of your stool to show your doctor, unedited or sexualized selfies, screenshots of login credentials or tax documents, spy photos, saved naked sex messages, or virtually anything else you’d like to remain for your eyes only.
Since it’s easy to accidentally include one of your photos or videos exclusive to you when you share an album with iCloud friends, text a group of pictures, play a slideshow in AirPlay, view your Photos widget on the home screen or lock screen, or simply browse your photos in view of others, Apple has included a tool to help protect you from that happening: Album hidden. It’s been around since iOS 10, got an incredible update with iOS 14, and became even more secure in iOS 16. Apple’s iOS 18 update doesn’t add anything new to the feature, but it doesn’t need to because it works perfectly.
While the Photos app has many useful features such as photobomb removal, face blur, crop tool, bulk image editing, live text on videos, visual search, and geotag editing, the hidden album is still one of the most important because it maintains privacy and security for your most private moments. Hell, you could even hide all of the content in Photos if you wish.
Note: This guide assumes you are running iOS 18 or later on your iPhone and also covers iPadOS 18 or later for iPad.
Hide images and videos on your iPhone or iPad
To hide any image or video in the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad, open it, tap the More button (•••), choose “Hide” from the menu, and then select “Hide Photo” or “Hide Video” in the message that appears.
Alternatively, you can tap and hold (press and hold) an image or video from a grid view to reveal the “Hide” option.
You can also hide multiple photos and videos at the same time. From a grid view in Library, Albums, Recent Days, People & Pets, Memories, Travel, Featured Photos, Media Types. Utilities, Collections, or Search, choose the “Select” button, choose all the content you want to hide, tap the More (•••) button, choose “Hide,” and then select “Hide (#) photos,” “Hide (#) videos,” or “Hide (#) items” in the message that appears.
Locate the hidden album on your iPhone or iPad
On your iPhone, when pictures and videos are hidden, you can find your Hidden album in the Utilities group. On an iPad, it will be in the Utilities group in the sidebar. By default, you can view the album, which will tell you how many photos and/or videos are in the folder.
Lock the hidden album on your iPhone or iPad
Since anyone using your iPhone or iPad can find and browse your hidden album, Apple has included (since iOS 16 and iPadOS 16) a way to lock the folder after biometric authentication. If enabled, no one will be able to access your hidden album unless they can crack your password.
To enable biometric authentication protection, go to Settings » Apps » Photos, then turn on the “Use Face ID” or “Use Touch ID” switch. This switch also locks all recently deleted images and videos behind biometric data. The switch can’t be turned off without biometrics or a passcode, so someone who borrows your iPhone or iPad won’t be able to quickly turn it off to take a look at your protected media.
Find your hidden album in the Utilities group on your iPhone or in the sidebar on your iPad to try it out. When locked, it will no longer show how many photos and/or videos you have in the album. Tap it, press “View Album,” and then use your face or fingerprint to bypass the lock and view your secret content.
If biometrics aren’t working for you at the time, or if someone else has your iPhone or iPad and is trying to access your private media, Face ID or Touch ID will fail. Tapping “Try Face ID again” or “Try Touch ID again” gives you another chance, but then it will default to “Enter password.”
If you are using a four or six digit passcode, it is not impossible to crack and gain access. So, if someone manages to unlock your iPhone or iPad with a cracked passcode, they will also be able to unlock your hidden photos and videos. Consider using a longer or alphanumeric password to enhance security.
Hide the hidden album on your iPhone or iPad
If you want to go the extra mile to keep your private photos and videos out of sight, you can hide your hidden album. This option has been available since iOS 14 and iPadOS 14. Go to Settings » Apps » Photos, then turn off the “Show hidden album” switch. This will not remove any hidden content; it will just hide the folder from view. Every time you want to view your secret media again, return to this menu and turn the switch back on first.
Unfortunately, anyone with access to your unlocked iPhone or iPad can find and enable the Show Hidden Album toggle, so it’s vital to also use the toggle that enables biometrics. That way, showing the album won’t do much good for anyone, unless it’s you.
View your hidden album on other devices
It’s important to note that anything you hide in your Hidden album will also be hidden on all your other Apple devices, as long as they have iCloud Photos enabled. However, there are some things you should know:
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With iCloud for Windows, hidden photos and videos may still appear along with the rest of your iCloud Photos library.
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The hidden album cannot be accessed on Apple TV, even if iCloud Photos is turned on.
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If you hide a photo that’s part of your shared iCloud Photo Library, all participants can see it from the Hidden album and can also show it.
To enable iCloud Photos in:
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iPhone: In the Settings app, go to Apple Account » iCloud » Photos or iCloud » Photos and then turn on “Sync this iPhone.” Alternatively, go to Apps » Photos and turn on “iCloud Photos.”
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iPad: In the Settings app, go to Apple Account » iCloud » Photos or iCloud » Photos, and then turn on “Sync this iPad.” Alternatively, go to Apps » Photos and turn on “iCloud Photos.”
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Waterproof: From the menu (the Apple logo in the menu bar), go to System Settings » Apple Account » iCloud » Photos or System Settings » iCloud » Photos, and then turn on “Sync this Mac.” Alternatively, from Photos, go to Photos » Settings in the menu bar (or use Command-, keyboard shortcut), select the “iCloud” tab, and check the “iCloud Photos” box.
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Apple Vision Pro: Go to Settings » Apple Account » iCloud » Photos and then turn on “Sync this Apple Vision Pro”.
To actually see your hidden album:
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iPhone: Follow the instructions in this article.
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iPad: Follow the instructions in this article.
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Waterproof: In Photos, click the Hidden album in the sidebar under Utilities or go to View » Collections » Hidden in the menu bar. If you don’t see the album, go to View » Show hidden photo album in menu bar to show it.
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iCloud.com: Sign in to icloud.com, open Photos, select the Hidden album in the sidebar under Collections, and tap “Show Hidden Photos.” You won’t need to authenticate again because you’re already signed in to iCloud.
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Professional vision: In Photos, tap the Collections tab and then open the Hidden album in Utilities. If you don’t see the album, go to Settings » Apps and then turn on “Show hidden album”.
The Biometric Authentication Switch does not sync with your other iCloud devices, so you must manually enable protection on each device. On a Mac, go to Photos » Settings in the menu bar, make sure you’re on the General tab, and check the “Use Touch ID or password” or “Use password” box.
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Cover photo and screenshots from Gadget Hacks.