Start with one question: who are you hiding the photos from? If it is a stranger who picks up your phone, the Hidden album may be enough. If it is someone who knows your passcode, you need an app that encrypts. Apps with only a lock screen sit in between, and they are the hardest to judge.
The Hidden album is built in and has one weak point
Press and hold a photo, tap Hide, and confirm. Apple says the photo then leaves your Library, your other albums and the Photos widget. The album is locked by default, and Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode opens it. To remove the album from view, turn off Show Hidden Album in Settings, Apps, Photos.
The weak point is the passcode. Anyone who knows it can open the album. With iCloud Photos on, the photo is also hidden on your other devices.
An app with a lock screen shows you a PIN and tells you nothing else
These apps move photos into the app and ask for a PIN or password first. That answers who can open the app. It does not answer how the files sit on the phone.
If the description and the privacy policy only talk about a PIN, you cannot tell if the files are encrypted. Ask the developer before you add a photo you care about.
An app that encrypts scrambles each file with a key
The key depends on a secret that you choose, so a copy of the files alone does not contain it. The price is recovery. If the app cannot reset your secret, a forgotten secret can mean lost photos.
Six checks before you add a photo to any vault app
- Encryption. Look for a named method, such as AES-256-GCM. “Secure” is not a method.
- What opens it. If your phone passcode opens it, anyone with your passcode can open it, as with the Hidden album.
- Account. The privacy policy says if you need one.
- Privacy label. The App Store lists what the developer says it collects. The developer fills it in, so read the policy too.
- Forgotten secret. Find a clear answer first.
- Copies. Check each backup and cloud copy.
Our limits are plain. Vault9 has no sync between devices, no iPad or Mac app, and no sharing from inside the app. It cannot reset your pattern or passphrase, so write it on your Emergency Kit. And it does not protect photos while someone holds your unlocked phone.
If you want to check other apps with the same questions, see what to check before you trust a vault app.
Sources
- Apple Support: Hide photos with the Hidden album (checked 2026-11-06)
- Apple Support: Hide photos and videos on Apple devices (checked 2026-11-06)
- Apple Support: About privacy information on the App Store (checked 2026-11-06)
