How to hide photos on Android

Android has no single Hidden album like the one on iPhone. It has several tools, and which ones you get depends on who made your phone. Google Photos works on almost every Android phone. Samsung adds its own tools in the Gallery app and in Secure Folder. This guide shows the steps for each one, then what each one protects and what it leaves open. We checked every step against the Google and Samsung help pages listed below.

Which method fits your phone?

Method	Phones	What opens it	A code that differs from your screen lock
Google Photos Locked Folder	Android 6 and later	Your screen lock	No
Samsung Gallery private album	Select Galaxy phones with One UI 8.5	Fingerprint or your screen lock	No
Samsung Secure Folder	Galaxy phones that support it	Its own PIN, password or pattern	Yes
Files by Google Safe folder	Android 8.0 and later	Its own PIN or pattern	Yes
Photo vault app	Any Android phone	The app’s own code	Yes

The last column matters most. If the person you want privacy from knows your screen lock, Locked Folder and the private album do not stop them.

Hide photos with Google Photos Locked Folder

This works on Pixel, Samsung and most other Android phones with the Google Photos app.

1. Open the Google Photos app.
2. At the bottom, tap Collections, then tap Locked.
3. Select Set up Locked Folder and unlock your device when the screen asks.
4. Go back to Photos and select the photo or video you want to hide.
5. At the bottom, tap Add to, then tap Move to Locked Folder.
6. Tap Move.

Google says items in Locked Folder do not show in the photo grid, memories, search or albums. Other apps that can read your photos cannot see them either. On a Pixel 4 or later, you can also save a new photo straight from the Pixel camera into Locked Folder.

Backup is the part to read twice. Locked Folder backup is a separate switch. If it is off, the items stay only on your phone, and Google says you lose them if you uninstall Google Photos, clear its data, or lose the phone. Our Locked Folder guide shows how to turn the backup on.

Hide photos on a Samsung Galaxy

Samsung gives you three tools. They differ a lot in what they protect.

The private album in Gallery

On select Galaxy phones with One UI 8.5, Samsung’s Gallery app has a private album.

1. Open the Gallery app.
2. Tap the Menu button at the bottom right.
3. Select Private album and follow the steps on the screen to set it up.
4. To add items, go back to Gallery and choose the photos or videos.
5. Tap More (three vertical dots), then Move to private album.
6. Tap Move.

Samsung says the private album opens with your fingerprint or screen lock, and screenshots are off inside it.

Hide albums in Gallery

Gallery can also hide a whole album from view. Open Gallery, select Albums, tap View all, select Menu, then tap Hide albums and turn on the albums you want to hide. This only takes the album out of sight in Gallery. It adds no lock, so anyone can turn the switch back.

Secure Folder

Secure Folder is a separate, locked space with its own PIN, password or pattern. To move a photo in, open Gallery, touch and hold the photo, tap More, then tap Move to Secure Folder. You can do this even when you are not signed in to Secure Folder. Our Secure Folder guide covers setup, recovery and the backup limits.

Hide photos with Files by Google

Files by Google has a Safe folder on Android 8.0 and later. It uses its own PIN or pattern, not your screen lock. Open Files by Google, scroll to Collections, tap Safe folder, then choose PIN or Pattern.

Google is plain about the risk. If you forget the PIN or pattern, you cannot get to your files, and a reset deletes them for good. Safe folder also has no Back up to Google Drive option. So it is a lock with no backup.

What these methods do not protect

• Copies in your Google account. If Google Photos already backed up a photo, the cloud has a copy. Google says that when you move an item to Locked Folder with Locked Folder backup off, Google Photos deletes its backup of that item. Other tools do not touch the cloud copy. Check photos.google.com after you move anything.
• Copies and edits. Google says a move to Locked Folder moves only the original. Copies, edited versions and photos that other people saved stay where they are.
• Encryption in Google’s cloud. Android Help says some backup data is encrypted with your screen lock, but photos and videos in Google Photos are not. Locked Folder uses Google Photos’ standard encryption. Read how backup works on Android for the York Vault side.
• Chat apps. A photo you sent or received in a chat app has its own copy in that app.

When does a photo vault app make sense?

A vault app keeps photos in its own storage, behind a code that is not your screen lock. It helps when the person you need privacy from knows your screen lock. It also helps if you want a cover code, a neutral icon or a log of wrong codes.

It also adds a new risk. In our study of 836 App Store reviews of 7 vault apps, 136 reviews (16%) said photos or videos disappeared. Several of these apps also run on Android. Before you pick one, check that it backs up every item and has a recovery path you control. Our guide to the best photo vault apps for Android compares the main apps on Google Play. To check an app yourself, read are photo vault apps safe.

What York Vault does on Android

York Vault is on Google Play and the App Store, with a Mac app in Plus and a web app in Pro. On an Android phone, it:

• Opens with a PIN, a passcode or a pattern that you choose. Fingerprint or face unlock is an option on top, only where Android rates it as strong. See lock options.
• Encrypts each photo, video and file on your phone before it saves it.
• Backs up every item, encrypted, to a hidden app folder in your own Google Drive, at no cost. See encrypted backup.
• Removes the originals from your gallery only after it checks its own copy. See import and cleanup.
• Blocks screenshots and screen recording on every York Vault screen.

Viewing, export and restore of your own items stay free on every plan. The pricing page lists what Plus and Pro add. Download York Vault.