How to keep photos private: Hidden album on iPhone, Locked Folder on Android

iPhone: the Hidden album

In Photos, touch and hold a photo or video, tap Hide and confirm. Apple says hidden items move to the Hidden album and no longer appear in your library, other albums or the Home Screen Photos widget. You can find the album under Utilities in Photos.

Since iOS 16, Apple says the Hidden album is locked by default and needs Face ID or Touch ID to view. If you use iCloud Photos, items hidden on one device are hidden on your other devices too. To remove the album from view entirely, go to Settings, Apps, Photos and switch off Show Hidden Album.

Apple’s Hidden album page does not say whether the Recently Deleted album is locked, so do not assume it is private. If you delete a sensitive photo, treat Recently Deleted as a place someone with your unlocked phone might still look until it empties.

Android: Locked Folder in Google Photos

In Google Photos, open Collections, then Locked, and choose Set up Locked Folder. It requires Android 6 or later and a device screen lock, and your Locked Folder password is your screen lock; you cannot set a different one. Anyone who knows your screen lock can open the folder.

To move a photo, select it, tap Add to, then Move to Locked Folder, and tap Move. Google says copies, edited versions and shared copies saved by others are not moved, so check for duplicates elsewhere. Locked items stay out of search, albums and memories and cannot be edited, shared or added to albums.

Backup is the point to understand. Google says items that are not backed up exist only on that device, and are lost if you uninstall Photos, clear its data, or the device is damaged or lost. You can turn on Back up Locked Folder in Photos settings, or back up items one by one. Backed-up Locked Folder items count toward your storage quota. Locked Folder is not available on fully managed devices or for certain account types.

Samsung: Secure Folder

On Galaxy phones, Samsung describes Secure Folder as a separate, secured storage area that stays locked even when the phone is unlocked, and it needs a Samsung account. To add photos, open Secure Folder, tap Add files, choose Images, select photos and then tap Move or Copy. Move deletes the original from Gallery.

To take photos out, open Secure Folder, tap Gallery, select the image, tap More options and choose Move out of Secure Folder. Samsung also says uninstalling Secure Folder removes its content unless you tick the option to move media out first, and that changing the phone’s operating system can lock it permanently. Samsung describes a backup option under More options, Settings, Backup and restore, but it varies by software version and device, so check what your phone offers and keep a separate copy of important items.

Do not forget hidden photos when you clean up or switch phones

Hidden and locked photos fall outside your normal grid, so they are easy to forget and easy to lose. Google’s own switching guide notes that photos in hidden folders do not copy when you move from one Android phone to another, so move them out or back them up before the switch.

Make a short checklist: confirm each private folder has a backup you can restore, empty the folder only after you have a safe copy, and review it once in a while. Old private photos you no longer want are better deleted than hidden forever.

1. Open the Hidden album, Locked Folder or Secure Folder and see what is inside.
2. Decide what you still want. Delete the rest in your usual way.
3. Check that what you keep is backed up or copied somewhere safe.
4. Before changing phones, move the items out or back them up first.

Where sorting apps fit in

Hiding is not the same as sorting. Privacy folders protect sensitive photos from casual browsing, but they do not replace a backup. GallerySort lets you swipe to keep or delete photos and add keepers to albums; it does not manage hidden or locked folders, so use your phone’s own tools for those, and keep sensitive photos out of cleanup sessions where someone might see your screen.