How to Hide Photos on Your Phone: iPhone & Android Tips

It’s smart to think about the security of the photos you store on your phone, whether that’s just on your device or on the cloud. Even if your phone is password protected and you have Multi-Factor Authentication on the app that stores your photos, it’s a great idea to spend some time thinking about how to keep your photos private. One option is to hide photos on your phone.

Why People Want to Keep Their Photos Private

The first thing some people think of when we talk about keeping photos private is keeping intimate photos private. Someone might think, “I don’t have any pictures like that on my phone, so why does it matter to me?” Or, they might think, “I always delete those photos right away, so it’s fine.” 

But there are other reasons why someone might want to protect the privacy of their photos–and some steps to take if you want to be confident that your pictures are locked down.

General privacy concerns: you may want to prevent others from accessing private, personal, or–yes, intimate–photos. Locking down these photos means that they won’t be accessed by anyone outside of those you choose. That means pictures won’t be unexpectedly accessed by family members, kids, or someone who steals your phone. 

Security: Some of your photos could be misused if they were to be accessed by the wrong people, including financial documents, work files, or any photos that could be used against you. Hiding these images means that no one can use the information contained in screenshots or photos in a way that harms you. 

Other reasons: Sometimes there are even more reasons, like wanting to make something a surprise. You may take photos or screenshots of a gift and want to hide them so that someone else who regularly looks at your phone doesn’t spoil the surprise! 

How to Hide Photos on Your iPhone

There are two main options for hiding pictures on your iPhone: the Photos App or the Notes App. 

Hiding in the Photos App

The easiest way to conceal your photos is to use the Hidden Album feature in the iOS Photos app. 

After taking a photo, access the picture in your album. Select the photo that you want to put into the hidden folder, and tap the More button. The “hide” option will show up, and you can just confirm that you want to hide that picture or video. 

Finding the Hidden Folder 

Of course, once you hide the photos and videos, you’re going to want to access them again! 

To access your hidden folder, go back to the Photos app and open the Albums tab. Scroll down under “Utilities” until you find the Hidden album. 

If you are using an iPhone 16 or later, your Hidden album is automatically password-protected and can only be unlocked with your passcode or Face ID. If you are using iPhone 15 or before, then your Hidden Folder may be harder to find, but it isn’t actually locked down. That’s why many people have used the Notes app to protect their sensitive pics.

Hiding Pictures Using the Notes App

An alternative method of hiding photos on your phone is to use the Notes app. 

Using this method, you will transfer the photo to the Notes app and then lock that note. Open the photo, then select the “Share” icon. When you are presented with a list of apps that you can share to, select the Notes app. (You may need to tap “More” to get to this option.)

It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: if you’re locking away intimate or sensitive photos using this method, don’t click the wrong app to share to! 

After selecting the Notes app for your sharing destination, click the bar right below “Save to.” Select “Create New Note.” 

At this point, the note is created, but the photo is not yet password-protected.  

How to Lock a Note

Go to the Notes app and select the folder where you stored your photo. From there, follow these steps: 

1. Select the folder where you stored the note you want to lock.
2. Tap the note with the picture you are password-protecting. 
3. Click the three dots in the top, right-hand corner of your screen
4. Choose the “Lock” option
5. Create a password and verify it OR toggle to the option to use Face ID to access the notes
6. Click “done.”

Lastly, go back to the photo in the Photos app and delete it. The copy will stay in the Notes app even after the original photo is deleted. However, keep in mind that the copied photo may be deteriorated a bit in quality, as it is a copy instead of the original. If you need to keep the original quality of the pictures or videos, this method may not be the best option.

How to Hide Pictures on Your Android 

Before you can hide photos on your Android phone, you need to set up your locked folder. 

After opening your Google Photos app, select the “Library” tab at the bottom and follow these steps: 

1. Tap “Utilities”
2. Scroll to “Set Up Locked Folder” (It may be under “Organize Your Library”)
3. Tap the option to get started, either “Get Started” or “Set Up Locked Folder”
4. Authenticate yourself with your PIN or fingerprint 

Once you have set up your folder, you can add photos to the Locked folder by opening the image and long-tapping on it. The three-dot menu at the top will give you the option to “Move to Locked Folder.”

Hiding Your Pictures Is Easy with an iPhone or Android 

No matter the reasons why you want to keep your photos private, taking the steps to lock down your media will help you limit who has access. You may want to keep private moments private or secure your sensitive data, and both Android and iPhone make that as easy as possible. 

By making use of hidden photo folders and password-protected notes, you can take more control over your digital footprint. Even so, it is important to remember that any data stored on a digital device or network could be susceptible to hackers and cybercriminals, so be sure to use caution when taking any sensitive photos.