Keep your secret photos really secret
With iOS 13, you could hide photos on your iPhone by moving them to a folder called ‘Hidden’. Then when someone swiped through your photo library, they would no longer encounter these secret snaps or ugly screenshots. But people who know the existence of this ‘Hidden’ folder managed to find the photos anyway.
Now that iOS 14 is out, you can make your photos more secure again. We explain how to hide the photos in the Hidden folder (it still works as before). Then we’ll show you how to hide that folder – because that’s a new option.
Hide photos from iPhone
How to hide a photo:
- Open Photos.
- Open the photo (or video) you want to hide.
- Tap the share icon and tap Hide (with the eye).
If you want to hide several photos at once, do the following:
- Open Photos
- Go to the total overview with photos.
- At the top right, tap Select.
- Tap the share icon and tap Hide.
Folder with hidden photos
You can find the photos you have hidden in the following way:
- Open Photos.
- Tap ‘Albums’ at the bottom.
- Near the bottom is the folder ‘Hidden’.
If someone accidentally bumps into that folder, then the chances are very high that they will tap on it and still see your hidden photos. Well: try to resist the temptation.
Do not show album ‘Hidden’ anymore
You can also hide the hidden photos folder since iOS 14:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap ‘Photos’.
- Set the switch behind ‘Album’ hidden ”to gray.
The album will remain, you can still add new photos to it. But you won’t see it in the Photos app anymore. If you want access to the secret photos again, you have to turn the switch back to green in the Settings.
Waterproof?
Of course, this method is not completely waterproof either. If you hand over your iPhone to someone who is a bit handy, he will also know where to find this setting. But the map is no longer so prominently displayed and therefore does not immediately attract attention. Plus, you’ll probably notice if someone looking at your photos suddenly opens the Settings app.