The Problem with Hiding Things in the Photos App

When you use the method described above to hide a photo or video, it provides very little protection. You can’t “lock” the hidden album, or even hide a photo behind a Face or Touch ID, or passcode.

The biggest issue is all of your hidden media is accessible in a single location. Anyone who has access to your unlocked phone can open your Hidden folder with a few taps. All the “Hide” function really does is tidy up your main library. It allows you to hold on to some photos without deleting them entirely. Although many iPhone and iPad owners embrace this trick, you might want to avoid it if you actually want to hide your private media.

If someone else might have access to your unlocked phone, and you’re concerned about privacy, don’t use the “Hide” feature. It’s ideal if you want to tidy up your library, but you don’t want to make it an easy-to-find repository of your most embarrassing media.

Apple could improve this if the “Hidden” album were locked behind a passcode or password, along with the option of requiring Face or Touch ID to access it. We hope something similar will be introduced in iOS 14, or a future version of Apple’s operating system.

How to Hide Photos in the Notes App

Apple includes a Notes app, and one of its standout features is the ability to lock individual notes. This means you can add media to a note, and then add a password. You can require Face or Touch ID to unlock password-protected notes, as well. Also, after you lock a photo or video in a note, you can delete it from the main photo library.

First, you have to send the photo or video to Notes; follow these steps:

1. Find the image or video you want to hide with Notes. (You can select multiple files.)
2. Tap the Share icon in the bottom-left corner.
3. Scroll through the list of apps and tap “Notes.” (If you don’t see it, tap “More,” and then select “Notes” from the list of apps that appears.)
4. Select the note to which you want to save the attachments (by default, this will be a “New Note”), and then type a text description in the field below.
5. Tap “Save” to export your media to Notes.

Now, follow these steps to lock the note you just created:

1. Launch the Notes app and find the note you just created (it should be at the top of the list).
2. Swipe left on the title of the note to reveal the Padlock icon.
3. Tap the Padlock icon to lock the note. If you haven’t locked a note before, you’ll be asked to create a password and enable Face or Touch ID. You’ll use this password for all locked notes, so make sure it’s something you’ll remember or store it in a password manager.

From now on, to lock or unlock the note, tap it, and then authorize access with your password, face recognition, or fingerprint.

There are limitations to this method, too. For example, you can’t share attachments from Photos to an existing note that’s locked, even if you unlock it manually beforehand. This makes it difficult to use a single note for all your hidden content. However, you can create a folder (e.g., “Private” or “Hidden”) within the Notes app and put any private notes in there. While not ideal, this method offers more security than Apple’s unsecured “Hidden” album.

If you use this method, though, don’t forget to go back to your photo library and delete any photos you’ve hidden in Notes!

Use Secure Notes in Your Password Manager

Some apps, like password managers, are designed with security in mind. They make it easy to use unique credentials across the web by remembering a single master password. Most password managers store more than just passwords, too.

This includes, but isn’t limited to, banking information, scanned copies of important documents, birth certificates, and even photos or videos. This method is similar to storing your private media in Notes, except you use a third-party app or service instead.