Is there a better alternative to the iPhone Hidden album?

Photos (Hidden album) and York Vault side by side

Why do people look past the Hidden album?

The Hidden album is the first tool most iPhone owners try. It is free, it is already in Photos, and since iOS 16 it is locked by default. People start to look for something else when one of these four facts becomes a problem.

The key is your iPhone passcode

Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 27 says photos you hide are saved in the Hidden collection, “which you unlock using Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.” There is no second password. So a partner, parent or child who knows the iPhone passcode can open the album. Face ID does not change this, because the passcode always works as the fallback.

Search data shows how often this comes up. “hidden album iphone different password” appears in Google autocomplete in all 5 English markets we checked (US, UK, Canada, Australia and India). Apple’s only built-in item with its own password is Locked Notes, and Apple says “You can’t lock notes with video, audio, PDF, or file attachments”.

Stolen Device Protection does not cover it

Stolen Device Protection adds a Face ID check away from familiar places for some actions. Apple’s list of those actions includes “Open a locked app”. It does not include the Hidden album.

Hidden items travel with iCloud Photos

Apple says that with iCloud Photos on, “the photos that you hide on one device are hidden on your other devices too.” That is useful, and it also means every Mac, iPad and browser session on the account can reach the same album. In an iCloud Shared Photo Library, a hidden photo “moves to the Hidden album for all participants.”

Encryption depends on a setting

Apple’s iCloud data security overview lists Photos under standard data protection as encrypted “In transit & on server”, with the key held by Apple. Photos become end-to-end encrypted only with Advanced Data Protection. Even then, Apple keeps a key to “Whether an item has been marked as a favorite, hidden, or marked as deleted.” In the UK, Apple no longer offers Advanced Data Protection to new users, so Photos stay under standard protection there.

What app reviewers say

We read 836 App Store reviews of 7 photo vault apps. At least 15 of those reviewers compare paid vaults with free tools such as the Hidden album, Notes or Google Photos. The comparison cuts both ways. One Private Photo Vault user who lost a library wrote, “Just use Apple’s Hidden Photos album (requires Face ID).” Another wrote that the app was “Way better than using the hidden folder.”

What to look for in a replacement

A vault app is only worth it if it fixes the four gaps above and does not add new risks. Check these points before you move anything:

1. A code that is not your iPhone passcode. You choose it, and nobody who knows the phone passcode can open the vault with it.
2. Encryption on the iPhone. Look for a named cipher and a plain statement that the company cannot open your files.
3. A backup you control. Ask where the copy lives, whether it is encrypted before upload, and how restore works on a new phone.
4. Free export. You should be able to move every item back out, in the original format, without a paid plan.
5. A recovery path that is not a back door. Email resets and master codes let other people in. A recovery key that only you hold does not.

Our guide to password-protecting photos on iPhone compares the built-in options in more detail.

How to move photos out of the Hidden album

Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 27 gives these steps to unhide an item. They apply to iOS 26 and later, where Photos has a Collections tab. In iOS 18, swipe up and tap Hidden below Utilities instead of steps 1 and 2. Unhidden items go back to the main library, so do this when nobody is around.

1. Open Photos and tap Collections.
2. Tap Hidden below Utilities, then tap View Album.
3. Unlock with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.
4. Tap the photo or video you want to move.
5. Tap the More button, then tap Unhide.

Apple’s guide shows this one item at a time. Repeat it for each item, and count the items before and after.

After that, add the items to your new vault app, check that every item opened, and then delete them from Photos. Deleted items stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days, so empty that collection too. Our Recently Deleted guide shows how.

If you copy to an external drive instead, Apple warns that “Photos and videos in the Hidden album won’t be transferred if the album is locked.” Apple’s fix is to turn off Use Face ID in Settings > Apps > Photos for the transfer, then turn it back on.

What the Hidden album does well

The Hidden album has real strengths, and for some people it is enough:

• It costs nothing and needs no new app. You trust only Apple, which already holds your photos.
• It is locked by default with Face ID or Touch ID since iOS 16. You can also take the collection out of view with Show Hidden Album.
• Account recovery exists. If you forget your passcode, Apple’s Apple Account recovery can help. Most vaults that hold their own keys cannot do that.
• End-to-end encryption is available in most countries if you turn on Advanced Data Protection.
• It handles Live Photos, edits and full-quality originals because the items never leave Photos.

If the only person you want to keep out does not know your passcode, the Hidden album may be the right tool. Our Hidden album guide covers it step by step.

What York Vault does differently

York Vault is on the App Store for iPhone and iPad and on Google Play for Android. Plus adds the Mac app, and Pro adds the web app. Here is what it does differently from the Hidden album.

• Its own code. At setup you pick a pattern, a PIN or a passcode. Face ID or Touch ID is an optional fast way in, and the fallback is always your York Vault code, never the iPhone passcode.
• Encryption before backup. Each item gets its own key on the iPhone. The free encrypted backup goes to your own iCloud already encrypted, so it does not depend on Advanced Data Protection.
• A cover code and an erase code. A second code opens a separate cover library. An erase code opens the cover library and erases this iPhone’s keys to the others. See cover and erase codes.
• A recovery key you hold. Setup shows 12 words once. We do not keep a copy and cannot reset your code. As a fallback, you can turn on Apple Account recovery, which lets you set a new code after a 72-hour wait.
• Free export of everything to Photos or Files, with dates and Live Photos kept.
• A photo on a wrong code, if you turn it on, plus a log of attempts.
• Sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac with Plus, and between iPhone and Android with Pro. Each item is encrypted before it leaves the device.

What York Vault does not do: it adds a second app to trust, and it cannot hide its own name in Settings. See plans for what each plan includes, or download York Vault on the App Store or Google Play.

Other alternatives worth checking

• Vaultaire encrypts with a pattern and has no ads, but has no Face ID or PIN.
• Private Photo Vault is the most rated vault app on the App Store.
• Keepsafe syncs through its own cloud account.
• LockMyPix names AES encryption and keeps Live Photos.