How to Hide Personal Photos On Your Android or iOS device

Sharing photos and videos with co-workers, colleagues, and family members can be fun, but there may be certain images that you prefer to keep private. Regardless of whether you use a budget Android phone with the new Android 14 operating system or a premium iPhone Pro, there are multiple methods available to safeguard your photos and videos, ensuring that they remain unseen by prying eyes. 

In this guide, we will explore various ways to hide personal photos on your Android or iOS device. So, let’s dive in

How to Hide Personal Photos On Your Android

Method #1: Using Google Photos

Google Photos is a widely-used gallery app on Android phones, offering an array of useful features for locating, sharing, and editing pictures. It also includes a built-in feature called the “Locked Folder” to hide private media. To set up and use the Locked Folder in Google Photos, follow these steps:

• Open the Google Photos app on your phone.
• Select the “Library” tab located at the bottom.
• Tap the “Utilities” menu.
• Look for the “Set up Locked Folder” suggestion on the subsequent menu. If it is not there, scroll down and find the “Locked Folder” button under the “Organize Your Library” category.
• Tap either “Get Started” or “Set up Locked Folder” and use your phone’s authentication method (PIN, password, or fingerprint) to access the Locked Folder.

Once the Locked Folder is set up, you can proceed to hide existing photos in it:

• Launch Google Photos and go to the “Photos” tab.
• Long-press on an image and select the media files you wish to hide.
• Tap the three-dot menu at the top.
• Choose “Move to Locked Folder” and confirm your decision in the pop-up menu.

If you are adding only one photo or video, click on the media file, swipe up to access more details, and select the “Move to Locked Folder” option to hide it.

Method #2: Using the Files App

Many Android phones come preinstalled with Files by Google, which also offers a “Safe folder” for storing private media files and documents. Here’s how you can set up and use the Safe folder:

• Open the Files app on your Android phone.
• Select the “Safe folder” option. You can secure it with a four-digit PIN or a pattern by following the on-screen instructions.
• Return to the Files home screen and open images, videos, or documents.
• Long-press on the media files and tap the three-dot menu located in the upper-right corner.
• Finally, choose “Move to Safe folder.”

To access your hidden media, open the Safe Folder from the app drawer menu, authenticate with the PIN you created during setup.

How to Hide Photos on iPhone

Similar to Android, the default Photos app on your iPhone or iPad device enables you to create a hidden album to protect your sensitive media files. To proceed, follow the steps below:

• Open the Photos app located on your iPhone device.
• Tap the “Select” button situated at the top corner and choose the photos and videos you want to hide.
• Click on the “share” icon located at the lower-left side of your screen and select “Hide.”

That’s it! You’ve successfully hidden your personal photos and videos. To view your hidden media files, follow these steps:

• Access the settings; tap on the gear icon found on your iPhone device.
• Scroll down and click on “Photos.”
• Turn on the “Hidden Album” toggle.
• Launch the Photos app and go to the “Albums” section.
• Scroll to the “Utilities” option, select “Hidden album” to access your safeguarded media files.

Final Words 

There you have it on how to hide personal photos on your Android or iOS device. Whether it’s confidential reports, personal pictures, or videos, you don’t have to worry about prying eyes stumbling on them. The above options should help you secure your files, making them invisible unless when accessed from the hidden album you created.