How to Hide Photos on iPhone (So They Actually Stay Hidden)

Originally published on Tutomod.

Handing someone your phone to see one picture, while they casually start scrolling, is a universal fear. iOS has built in answers.

There's the official Hidden album, and a couple of extra tricks for photos you really don't want surfacing in Memories or widgets.

Get this ready first

An iPhone with a recent iOS
Face ID or a passcode set up

Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels

Step by step

1. Hide the photo

Open the photo, tap the three dot menu, choose Hide, and confirm. It leaves the main library instantly.

2. Find the Hidden album

Photos app, Albums tab, scroll to Utilities, Hidden. On iOS 16 and later it requires Face ID or your passcode to open, which is the important part: earlier versions didn't lock it at all.

3. Remove the album from casual sight

Settings, Photos, Show Hidden Album, turn it off. The album vanishes from the Albums tab until you switch it back. Now nobody even knows there's anything to look for.

4. Stop Memories and widgets from surfacing photos

In Photos, open a photo of a person, tap the three dots, and use Feature This Person Less. Same idea trips for places and dates: fewer surprise cameos on your home screen widgets.

5. Extra sensitive? Use Notes with a lock

Save the image inside a note in the Notes app, then lock that note with its own password (tap the lock icon). Then delete the photo from the library, trash included.

Photo by Bert Christiaens on Pexels

Small tweaks, big difference

Hidden photos still sync to iCloud and stay hidden everywhere, on every device you own.
Recently Deleted also needs Face ID now. Delete with confidence.
Screen recordings and screenshots land in the library too. Hide their folder the same way if needed.