If you want to hide photos on your iPhone, there are a couple of methods you can use to keep them private. Here’s how you can hide photos on your iPhone:
Using the Hidden Album in the Photos App:
1. Open the Photos App: Locate and open the “Photos” app on your iPhone.
2. Select Photos to Hide: Go to the “Albums” tab at the bottom of the screen and scroll down to find the “Hidden” album. Open the “Hidden” album.
3. Hide Photos: To hide a photo, tap on the “Select” button at the top-right corner of the screen. Choose the photos you want to hide by clicking on them. Once selected, click on the share icon at the bottom-left corner.
4. Hide Selected Photos: In the share sheet, scroll down and tap on “Hide.” The selected photos will now be moved to the “Hidden” album and will not be visible in the main “Photos” or “Albums” views.
Using the Private Folder in the Files App:
1. Open the Files App: Locate and open the “Files” app on your iPhone.
2. Create a Private Folder: In the “Files” app, tap on the “Browse” tab at the bottom and navigate to a location where you want to create a private folder (e.g., On My iPhone). Tap on the three dots icon at the top-right corner and select “New Folder.” Give your folder a name, such as “Private” or anything you prefer.
3. Move Photos to the Private Folder: Go back to the “Photos” app and select the photos you want to hide by clicking on them. Tap on the share icon at the bottom-left corner and scroll until you find the “Save to Files” option. Tap on it.
4. Choose the Private Folder: In the “Save to Files” interface, select the private folder you created in step 2. Click on “Add” at the top-right corner to move the selected photos to the private folder.
5. Remove from Photos App: After moving the photos to the private folder, you can go back to the “Photos” app and delete the photos from the main library. Make sure to open the “Recently Deleted” album and delete them from there as well to ensure they are completely removed.
How to Hide Pictures on iPhone Using the Notes App
The Notes app that is preinstalled on iPhones may not seem like a place to hide private photos, but it is thanks to the ability to lock notes. This feature lets you lock a note with a passcode that must be entered to view it. You can put a picture into a Note and then lock it. Here’s how to use Notes to hide pictures on the iPhone:
1. Open Photos and select the photo you want to hide.
2. Click on the Action icon.
3. Tap Notes (or Add to Notes in iOS 12).
4. In the window that pops up, you can add text to the note if you want. Then tap Save.
5. Go to the Notes app.
6. Tap the Notes folder with the photo in it.
7. Tap the note with the photo to open it.
8. Click on the Action icon.
9. Tap Lock Note and, if prompted, add a password. If you use Touch ID or Face ID, you can lock the note using that.
10. Click on the lock at the top right corner so that the icon appears locked. This locks the note. The picture is replaced by a This note is locked message. The note and photo can now only be unlocked by someone with the password (or who can trick Touch ID or Face ID, which is very unlikely).
11. Go back to the Photos app and delete the photo. Make sure to fully delete the photo so that it can’t be recovered.
How to Unhide or View Hidden Photos on iPhone
Now you have a hidden photo. To view hidden photos, or to unhide photos, follow these steps::
1. Open the Photos app and tap Albums.
2. Scroll down to the Other Albums section and tap Hidden.
3. Tap the photo you want to unhide to select it.
4. Click on the Action icon.
5. Swipe up on the list of options at the bottom of the screen until you see Unhide. If you’re using iOS 12, swipe across the bottom row of options until you see Unhide.
6. Tap Unhide.
Note: There is no confirmation screen for the Unhide action, but the photo returns to its original album in Photos where it can be viewed again.
By using either the Hidden Album in the Photos app or a private folder in the Files app, you can keep your photos hidden and accessible only to you. However, note that these hiding methods are not foolproof and can be bypassed by someone with access to your device.
