Samsung Secure Folder vs iPhone: what to use instead
The iPhone has nothing called Secure Folder. The nearest pieces are the Hidden album in Photos, which is a screen lock, locked notes, which suit text, and a vault app, which gives you a separate credential and encryption for photos, videos and files. None of them runs a second copy of your apps, and nothing moves across automatically.
What Secure Folder is
Samsung describes Secure Folder as a separate, protected storage area on Galaxy phones for private photos, contacts and apps. It keeps them apart from the rest of the phone even when the phone is unlocked. You open it with your chosen lock method, optionally with biometrics, and it can lock automatically. Samsung says that you must sign in to a Samsung account to use it, that you can move photos, videos and installed apps into it, and that content in it cannot be sent out through unapproved methods such as USB. Samsung also says that modifying the operating system can lock Secure Folder and make it inaccessible, and advises you to keep a copy of important data somewhere else before putting it in.
We did not test Secure Folder, and this describes Samsung's own page, not our findings.
What the iPhone offers instead
| Secure Folder does | On iPhone, the nearest thing | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| Holds private photos and videos behind a separate lock | A vault app | A separate pattern or passphrase and encryption, chosen by the app |
| Holds private photos behind the system lock | The Hidden album in Photos | Apple says it is locked by default, requiring authentication, and shown by default; you can turn it off in Settings. Hidden photos stay in your library |
| Holds notes | Locked notes | Encrypted text with limits on attachments |
| Holds a second copy of apps | Nothing we found in Apple's documentation | Apps are not duplicated |
| Needs a Samsung account | No account for the vault we describe | A vault can be account-free |
The Hidden album
Apple's page says photos you hide leave the Library and other albums and sit in the Hidden album, which is locked by default and shown by default. If you use iCloud Photos, Apple says photos hidden on one device are hidden on the others. The album is a lock on one part of Photos, not a separate encrypted store, so it does not give you a different credential from your phone. Hidden album or vault app?
Locked notes
Good for short text. Apple says you cannot lock notes that contain PDFs, audio or video. iPhone locked notes vs a vault app
A vault app
This is the nearest match to what people use Secure Folder for: photos, videos and files behind a separate credential. Choose it by what you can verify, not by the icon.
What does not move across
- Apps and their data. Secure Folder can hold apps; an iPhone vault holds files, not apps.
- The Samsung account. Nothing from it exists on iPhone.
- Your files, automatically. You move content out of the old phone on your own. Samsung advises keeping a copy elsewhere, so take that seriously before wiping the old phone.
- Locks. A pattern or code on the old phone does not become a lock on the new one. You create a new credential.
What StrongRoom gives you
StrongRoom is an iPhone vault with a separate pattern or passphrase for each Vault, AES-256-GCM encryption, no account and no cloud. It stores photos, videos and any file from Files. It cannot move your old content for you; you bring it in by import. It is iPhone only in 1.0, with no Android version, and it makes no copy for you: write your Recovery Phrase down and make an Export Package. No outside expert has checked the app yet. What StrongRoom does not protect against
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Secure Folder on iPhone?
No. The nearest features are the Hidden album, locked notes and vault apps.
Can I move my Secure Folder to an iPhone?
Not automatically. Move the files out yourself first, keep a copy elsewhere, then import them into whatever you choose on the iPhone.
Does StrongRoom work like Secure Folder?
In one way: files sit behind a separate lock. It does not hold apps and has no Android version.
Does StrongRoom need an account?
Sources
- What is a Secure Folder and how to use it (Samsung Support), checked on 2026-10-30.
- Hide photos on your iPhone or iPad (Apple Support), checked on 2026-10-30.
- How to lock or unlock notes on your iPhone or iPad (Apple Support), checked on 2026-10-30.