• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

iPhoneArena

APPLE IPHONE, MAC, WATCH AND IPAD

  • Home
  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • Mac
  • Apple Watch
  • Bug Fixes
  • How to
  • Tips and Tricks
  • Apps
You are here: Home / Featured / How to Lock Hidden Photos Album on iPhone in iOS 16

How to Lock Hidden Photos Album on iPhone in iOS 16

Last Updated: November 1, 2022 by Dave Johnson

iPhone users have been asking for the possibility of protecting sensitive photos with passwords for a long time, and iOS 16 finally delivered the feature. This is one of the many novelties in iOS 16 that Apple didn’t have time to discuss on stage. Here’s how to lock your Hidden photos album with Face ID, Touch ID, or iPhone’s passcode.

In previous versions of iOS, marking a photo as Hidden merely removed it from the main camera roll, and put it in a separate bucket available in the albums list. But prying eyes could just tap on it to reveal them.

An entire ecosystem of third-party ‘secret folder’ apps have cropped up in the meantime to address this shortcoming, allowing secure photos to be protected by Face ID or Touch ID. Competing manufacturers like Samsung ship Secret Folder apps as stock apps, specifically to address this need.

Apple has finally closed the feature gap with iOS 16.

Locked Hidden Photos

With iOS 16, you will no longer need a separate app. The Photos app itself will automatically lock the Hidden album and the Recently Deleted album. By default, these albums will require Face ID, Touch ID, or your iPhone’s passcode in order to gain access.

How to Lock Hidden Photos on iPhone with a password

  1. Start the Settings app and go toPhotos.
  2. Turn on the toggle button for “Use Face ID” to lock the Hidden album with Face ID.
  3. Optional: Disable the “Show Hidden Album” option if you don’t want the Hidden album to appear under Albums.
  4. Navigate to the Photos app, tap Albums, and scroll down to the bottom of the screen. A lock icon will now appear in front of the Hidden and Recently Deleted album.

That’s it. Open the Hidden album and it will ask for Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode authentication to show the album contents.

Why should I protect photos with a password on iPhone?

Using passwords to hide away photos on iPhone and iPad is usually associated with the NSFW content that you wouldn’t want others to see while handling your phone. That’s probably why some iPhone users will be excited to hear about iOS 16 finally supporting password protections for photos.

But there’s a more valid reason to want to protect photos. We routinely take pictures of personal documents that might contain sensitive information. The kind of information you wouldn’t want anyone to see and potentially share or delete while using your handset. Maybe it’s work secrets that you have to hide.

You might think that data is safe, as the phone is always locked with a PIN/Face ID combo. The photos are safe under the screen lock. But once you hand it over to someone, they have access to the Photos app and its contents.

Protecting photos with passwords is the simplest thing to ensure that kids don’t accidentally remove any pictures or videos from your device before you can back up the data.

See also: How to Isolate, Copy & Share Subjects from Photos in iOS 16

Editors' Recommendations:

  1. How to Check if Your iPhone 13 is Fake or Original
  2. How to Make Your iPhone Switch Lock Screens Based on Time or Location in iOS 16
  3. How to Isolate, Copy & Share Subjects from Photos in iOS 16
  4. How to schedule emails Using the Mail app on iPhone in iOS 16

Reader Interactions

Submit a comment Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Trending Now

Review – Mkeke clear case for iPhone 14 pro & 14 Pro Max

11 Things iPhones Can Do That Android Phones Can’t in 2022

11 Amazing iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island Tips and Tricks

Fake iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max

How to identify a fake iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max

The 4 BEST iPhone 13 Pro Camera Tricks you don’t know yet!

Latest Posts

iPhone 14 Pro

5 of The Best iPhone 14 Pro Hidden Features You Should Know.

iPhone 14 Pro

Apple Unveils iPhone 14 Pro With Dynamic Island, Always-On Display, 48MP Camera, and More

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are shown in close-up form from the top.

iPhone 14 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro: What are the differences?

things Android phones can do iPhones can’t

Top 10 things that Android phones can do, iPhones can’t

6 Signs You Need a New iPhone Battery

Footer

Browse by topic

  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • Mac
  • Apple Watch
  • Bug Fixes
  • How to
  • Tips and Tricks
  • Apps

Contact info

  • Contact us
  • About iPhoneArena
  • Editorial Principles
  • Write For Us

Company

  • Terms Of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Guest Post Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Copyright Notice

Search iPhoneArena

FREE EMAIL UPDATES

Sign up and get updated whenever we publish new tutorials on the site

Disclaimer

This website is not owned by, is not licensed by nor is a subsidiary of Apple Inc. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Reproduction of materials found on this site, in any form, without explicit permission is prohibited. Please follow this link to read the complete disclaimer.

Copyright © 2022 iPhoneArena.com · All Rights Reserved