How to Turn on the “Hidden” Album in iPhone Photos to Hide Private Pictures

We all hand our iPhones over to friends or family members occasionally—perhaps to show them a funny video, a map to a restaurant, or photos from a recent vacation. However, the Photos app is a deeply personal space. Handing over your unlocked phone means trusting the other person will not swipe a little too far to the left or right and stumble upon a screenshot of private financial documents, a sensitive text message you saved, or simply an unflattering selfie.

To prevent this, Apple includes a built-in feature called the “Hidden” album. You can banish specific photos from your main camera roll, stashing them in a separate folder that requires Face ID or your passcode to unlock. However, many users do not realize that the Hidden album itself might be invisible by default.

This guide explains how to enable the Hidden album and move your private photos into it.

Step 1: Unhide the Hidden Album

If you have never used this feature before, the folder might not even appear in your Photos app. You must enable it in your iPhone’s main settings.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down the long list of apps until you find Photos. Tap it.
3. Look for a toggle switch labeled Show Hidden Album. Tap the switch so it turns green.
4. Just below that, ensure the toggle for Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID/Use Passcode, depending on your device) is also turned ON (green). This is critical; without it, the folder is visible, but anyone can tap it and see what is inside without needing to prove their identity.

Step 2: Hide a Photo

Now that the secure folder exists, you can start moving sensitive items out of your main camera roll.

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Find the photo or video you want to conceal and tap it so it fills the screen.
3. Tap the circle icon with three dots located in the top right corner of the screen.
4. From the drop-down menu, tap Hide.
5. A prompt will appear warning you that the photo will be moved to the Hidden album. Tap Hide Photo to confirm. The image will instantly vanish from your main Recents grid.

Step 3: View Your Hidden Photos

When you actually want to look at the photos you have concealed, you must navigate to the specific locked folder.

1. In the Photos app, tap the Albums tab at the very bottom of the screen.
2. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page, past your custom albums and media types, to the Utilities section.
3. Tap on Hidden. You will notice a small padlock icon next to it.
4. Your iPhone will immediately scan your face with Face ID (or ask for your passcode/fingerprint). Once verified, the folder unlocks, and you can view all of your private media.