How to make a secret photo album on iPhone
An ordinary album on iPhone cannot be locked. The secret album you can have is the Hidden album: move photos into it with Hide, and Apple locks it with Face ID or Touch ID. You can also turn off Show Hidden Album in Settings so it is not listed. For a separate lock with its own pattern or passphrase, use a vault.
The secret photo album iPhone already has
Open Photos, press and hold a photo, tap Hide and confirm. Apple says hidden photos and videos move to the Hidden album, so they do not appear in the Library or other albums. View it from Collections > Hidden under Utilities > View Album. That is your private, hidden photo album on iPhone, and it is the only locked album Photos offers.
To put a whole album's contents into it, select the items in that album and hide them. Apple's page covers hiding photos and videos, not hiding an album as one object, so the original album will then show without those items.
How to hide the album itself
By default the Hidden album is shown under Utilities. Apple says you can turn that off: open Settings, tap Apps, then Photos, scroll down and turn off Show Hidden Album. With it off, the album is not listed, and the photos stay where they are. To see them again, turn the setting back on.
This hides the door, not the room. Anyone who reads Apple's page, or checks that setting, knows where it is.
Secret album with a password
You cannot password-protect an album in Photos. Apple's Hidden album uses Face ID or Touch ID, and turning off Use Face ID in the same Settings screen unlocks the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums by default. A password of your own needs a locked note, which holds only a few images, or a vault. Password-protecting photos, option by option. Password protect photos on iPhone
When to use a vault instead
A vault suits a case where the album should be genuinely separate. In StrongRoom, you import the photos you pick, and the Vault opens only with a pattern or a passphrase. Photos in it are not in your photo library. Folders inside the Vault give you albums of your own: one level deep, up to 500, with names stored in the encrypted index.
Limits: StrongRoom cannot nest folders, hide its own icon, or restore from a cloud copy. Photos already uploaded to iCloud Photos stay in iCloud until you delete them there. See the limits.
Frequently asked questions
How do I hide an album on iPhone?
Hide its photos, which moves them to the Hidden album, and turn off Show Hidden Album in Settings > Apps > Photos if you want the album not listed.
Can a secret album have its own password?
Not in Photos. Use a locked note for a few images or a vault for a separate credential.
Do hidden photos stay hidden on my other devices?
With iCloud Photos on, Apple says yes, they are hidden there too, which also shows they sync.
Sources
- Hide photos on your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Vision Pro with the Hidden album (Apple Support), checked on 2026-10-30.
- Delete photos on your iPhone or iPad (Apple Support), checked on 2026-10-30.