Photos has no password for a single photo. You have 2 ways to put a lock on the pictures you choose. The Hidden album uses your phone lock. A vault app uses a lock of its own.
Option 1: the Hidden album
- Open the photo, tap the more button, then tap Hide.
- To see it again, tap Collections, then Hidden under Utilities. Tap View Album and unlock it.
Apple says Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode unlocks the Hidden album (Apple: Delete or hide photos and videos). Anyone who knows your passcode can open it. And it is one lock for all hidden photos, so you cannot give one photo a different lock. With iCloud Photos on, a hidden photo is hidden on all your devices. How to hide photos has the full steps.
Option 2: a vault app
Vault9 encrypts each item on your iPhone, and each file has its own key. The vault opens with your pattern or passphrase and your Secret Key, or Face ID if you turn it on. Your phone passcode never opens it.
Import from the Photos app. If the photo is in the Hidden album, unhide it first, because the picker does not show that album. A vault that is open on an unlocked phone is not protected, so lock the app when you hand the phone over.
Delete the original
Importing leaves the original in your library. Open the copy in the vault first, and check that it works. Then delete the original in Photos.
A deleted photo stays in Recently Deleted for 30 days, says Apple. To remove it now, tap Collections, tap Recently Deleted, tap View Album and unlock it. Select the photo, tap More, then tap Delete. With iCloud Photos on, the delete reaches your other devices too.
Sources
- Apple Support: Hide photos with the Hidden album (checked 2026-11-06)
- Apple Support: Delete photos on your iPhone or iPad (checked 2026-11-06)
- Apple Support: Delete or hide photos and videos on iPhone (checked 2026-11-06)
