How to hide sensitive photos on Android and iOS

Sharing photos and videos with your co-workers, boss, and family is fun. But there may be images you’d rather keep private. There are multiple ways to make photos and videos private, no matter which phone you use. From a budget Android phone using the new Android 14 OS to a premium iPhone Pro, you can safeguard photos in a few quick steps so that prying eyes don’t fall on them. Here are all the ways to do it, from using your phone’s included apps to a few third-party methods.

How to hide photos on an Android phone with Google Photos

Google Photos is one of the most widespread gallery apps on Android phones. In addition to offering plenty of handy features to find, share, and edit pictures, the app has a built-in Locked Folder in which you can hide private media. Before putting sensitive content in it, set up your Locked Folder in Google Photos.

Set up your Locked Folder

1. Open Google Photos on your phone.
2. Select the Library tab at the bottom.
3. Tap the Utilities menu.

   

4. Find the Set up Locked Folder suggestion on the following menu. If that isn’t there, scroll down and find the Locked Folder button under the Organize Your Library category.
5. Tap Get Started or Set up Locked Folder, and use your phone’s authentication method (PIN, password, or fingerprint) to access the Locked Folder.

   

   

Now that you have set up the Locked Folder, it’s time to add media files to it.

Hide existing photos in your Locked folder

There are two ways to add photos and videos to the Locked Folder. You can add them in bulk from the media library or when viewing an individual photo.

1. Launch Google Photos and go to the Photos tab.
2. Long tap an image and select the media files you want to hide.
3. Tap the three-dot menu at the top.
4. Select Move to Locked Folder and confirm your decision from the following pop-up menu.

   

   

That’s all there is to it. If you’re only adding one photo or video, click the media file, swipe up to check more details, and select the Move to Locked Folder option to hide it.

Automatically add new camera shots to your Locked Folder (Google Pixel only)

If you have a Google Pixel 3 or newer, you can automatically save new pictures you took using the camera app in your Locked Folder. Consider doing this if you want all the pictures you take with your phone’s camera hidden from your gallery. Also, keep in mind the instructions below only work for Pixel handsets.

1. Open the default Camera app on your Pixel phone.
2. Tap the photo gallery icon at the top.
3. Select Locked Folder from the Save to menu.

   

   

From now on, photos and videos you capture using your Pixel phone go straight to the Locked Folder in Google Photos.

Access hidden media in the Locked Folder

Now that your private images and videos are safeguarded in your Lock Folder, you might want to know how to access them. You can retrieve your hidden media files in the Google Photos Utilities menu.

1. Open the Google Photos app and head to Library.
2. Open the Utilities menu in Google Photos (check the steps above).

   

3. Find Locked Folder under the Organize your library menu.
4. Open it, authenticate your identity with a fingerprint or PIN, and check your hidden files.

   

   

How to hide photos on an Android phone using the Files app

Files by Google is often preinstalled on many Android phones. Like Google Photos, it has a Safe folder to store your private media files and documents. Follow the steps below to set up and use the Safe folder:

1. Open the Files app on your Android phone.
2. Select Safe folder. You can use a four-digit PIN or a pattern to secure it. Follow the on-screen instructions to set it up,
3. Move back to the Files home screen. Open images, videos, or documents.

   

   

4. Long tap media files and tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner.
5. Select Move to Safe folder.

   

   

How to hide photos on your Samsung Galaxy phone

Most recent Samsung Galaxy phones, including the Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra, come with Samsung Knox and feature a built-in Secure Folder in One UI (Samsung’s Android skin). The latter is a perfect option to secure your private photos, videos, and apps.

1. On your Samsung Galaxy phone, swipe down from the top and open the notification center.
2. Swipe down again and expand the quick toggles menu.
3. Turn on the Secure Folder toggle and find it in the app drawer menu. Tap the three-dotmenu at the top if you don’t see Secure Folder in the quick toggle menu.

   

4. Select Edit buttons, and drag the Secure Folder icon (from suggestions) to the quick toggles menu.

   

   

5. Repeat the process and tap the Secure Folder icon.
6. Set it up with a four-digit PIN.

   

7. Close Secure Folder and open the Gallery app on your Samsung phone.

That’s it. Now, you can add media to your Secure Folder, which is secluded from your phone’s normal interface.

How to hide photos in the Secure Folder

1. Find the Gallery app on your phone’s home screen or the app drawer menu (represented by a flower icon).
2. Select multiple images and tap More at the bottom.
3. Select Move to Secure Folder, and your photos vanish from the Gallery app.

   

   

4. To access your hidden media, open the Secure Folder from the app drawer menu, authenticate with a PIN (the one you created during the setup), and select the Gallery app.

Use third-party apps to hide photos on Android phone or tablet

The Google Play Store is packed with third-party apps to hide photos and videos. However, you shouldn’t trust any random app. Trusting any random app with your private media is risky. We picked the top options.

Vaulty

Vaulty is a highly-rated app for hiding confidential media files on Android. You can use a PIN or a biometric method to secure the photos. You can also create several vaults in the app for added protection.

The app has a unique feature to disguise it as a fully functional calculator. Vaulty also captures a screenshot of a person trying to access private files. Apart from photos and videos, you can store your private files like your driver’s license, ID cards, and credit cards.

LockMyPix

Unlike other third-party apps, LockMyPix encrypts your confidential photos and videos. It supports Face Unblock on devices like the Pixel 4, 5, and 6. You can also use a fake vault in the app to fool those who force you to open your private files. LockMyPix lets you disguise it as a calculator or radio app. If encryption is high on your priority list, go with this one.

Gallery Vault

Gallery Vault is another well-known app for hiding private media on Android. It encrypts photos and videos and supports hiding the app icon from the App Drawer menu.

If someone forces you to enter a passcode to check hidden media files, you can enter a fake one and show them fake content in the app. Gallery Vault supports fingerprint authentication. But we recommend storing your PIN in a top password manager.

How to hide photos on iPhone

Like on Android devices, the default Photos app on iPhone and iPad allows you to protect sensitive media files in a hidden album without downloading third-party ones.

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Select button at the top and select the photos and videos you want to hide.
3. Tap the share icon in the lower-left corner and select Hide.

   

   

That’s all there is to it. It’s also easy to find your hidden media.

How to access hidden media on your iPhone

To check the hidden album, activate it from the Photos settings.

1. Open Settings using the gear icon on your iPhone.
2. Scroll to Photos.
3. Turn on the Hidden Album toggle.

   

   

4. Open the Photos app and go to the Albums menu.
5. Scroll to the Utilities menu and open Hidden album to check sensitive media files.

   

   

Keep prying eyes away from private photos

With the above options, you’ll avoid other people stumbling upon sensitive pictures, such as confidential projects or personal pictures you’d rather keep private, no matter what phone and platform you use. However, most of them store the pictures on your phone or in the cloud. Another option to keep your media confidential is to move photos to a Synology NAS so that they’re not on your phone but on a storage you own and control.