The inability to lock individual apps on the iPhone means that if your device is unlocked, anyone can gain access to your personal photos by simply opening the Photos app. Considering how many photos and videos we shoot in this day and age, this is a major oversight from Apple. While there is no proper workaround to locking apps on an iPhone, you can at least hide your personal photos from prying eyes.
The ability to hide photos is present in the Photos app itself so you don’t need to rely on a third-party app for this. Do note that while you will be able to hide photos using the steps below, they won’t be password protected. So, anyone who uses an iPhone and knows how to hide photos will know how to access hidden photos on your iPhone as well.
Hide Photos and Videos on Your iPhone or iPad
Step 1: Open the Photos app on your iPhone. Then navigate to the photo or video inside the album that you want to hide.
Step 2: Open the photo/video you want to hide. Press the Share icon on the bottom left corner and select the Hide option from the share sheet. To hide multiple photos or videos at once, you will have to bring up the share sheet first and then scroll through the photos/videos and select them. Once selected, tap the Hide button. You will again have to confirm your choice by tapping the Hide Photo option from the dialog box that comes up on the screen.
Step 3: To view your hidden photos or videos, open the Photos app and go to the Albums tab. Scroll to the very bottom and you will see a Hidden option under Other Albums. Tap on it to view all your hidden photos and videos.
As I mentioned before, you cannot password protect your hidden photos or videos or the Photos app itself. This is a bit of a bummer as an experienced or advanced iPhone user will likely know this trick. You can always download a third-party app from the App Store that will lock down your private photos and videos. However, not everyone will be comfortable storing such sensitive content in third-party apps.
How do you store sensitive photos and videos on your iPhone? Drop a comment and let us know!
