The best apps to hide photos and videos on iPhone in 2026

The short answer#

The right app to hide photos on iPhone depends on who you're hiding them from. If nobody else knows your iPhone passcode, the free Hidden album built into Photos is often enough. If someone does, you need a vault app with its own lock, and the ones worth considering say plainly how they encrypt your photos, whether you need an account, and what happens if you forget the password.

We compared six vault apps and the Hidden album on those points, using only what each developer publishes on its App Store listing or help pages. One of the apps, VaultShield, is ours. We've held it to the same criteria and listed its trade-offs. We haven't ranked the apps, because the right pick depends on what you need.

Checked on 8 November 2026. Apps change, so check the listing before you install.

How we compared the apps#

We didn't use star ratings or our own opinion of each app's design. We compared what you can check yourself:

• Encryption. Does the developer say the photos are encrypted, and how? A lock screen on its own doesn't mean the files are encrypted.
• Account. Do you have to sign up with an email? An account can help with recovery, but it's one more thing tied to your photos.
• Forgotten password. Can you get back in, and what do you need to have set up beforehand? See what to do if you forget your photo vault password for step-by-step recovery, app by app.
• Price. The prices in each app's US App Store listing.
• Backup. Where copies go, and whether they're encrypted before they leave your iPhone.
• Tracking. The "Data Used to Track You" section of the App Store privacy label. The developer declares it, and Apple notes it hasn't verified it.

Price, backup and extras#

The apps, one by one#

iPhone Hidden album (free, built in)

Touch and hold a photo in Photos and tap Hide. Apple says the Hidden album is locked by default on iOS 16 and later and opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode, and that you can turn off Show Hidden Album to take it out of view (Apple Support). It works for videos too and syncs across your devices with iCloud Photos.

What it doesn't do is add a lock or encryption of its own. Anyone who knows your passcode can open it. In iCloud, Apple's data security overview shows Photos is encrypted with keys Apple holds under standard data protection, and end-to-end only with Advanced Data Protection turned on. See how to hide photos on iPhone for every built-in option, and our photo vault vs. iPhone Hidden album comparison for where the line is.

Good for: hiding photos from a glance, at no cost.

Private Photo Vault

Private Photo Vault's FAQ says it uses AES-256 encryption and that you can use the on-device vault without an account, offline by default. Its optional Cloud Vault is a premium feature; files are encrypted on the device before upload with a key from your Cloud Vault password.

To reset a forgotten app password you need a recovery email set up at first use. The Cloud Vault password can't be recovered by its team. Its FAQ also warns that deleting the app removes the photos and videos stored in it. According to its listing on the App Store, it has a decoy password and break-in reports, it's free with in-app purchases, and its age rating notes advertising.

Good for: people who want encryption and no account, and are happy to set up a recovery email.

Keepsafe

Keepsafe's help center says its Photo Vault uses 256-bit AES encryption, that files are encrypted at rest and that backups are encrypted too. It doesn't say who holds the keys.

Keepsafe uses an account tied to your email. If you forget your PIN, it sends a code to your verified email addresses after a 5-minute wait. If you permanently lose access to your only verified email, Keepsafe says it can't recover the account or its contents. According to Keepsafe's App Store page, the free tier is ad supported, ad-free use is a Premium feature, and a Private Cloud backs up your items.

Good for: people who want cloud sync and email-based recovery, and are comfortable with an account.

LockMyPix

LockMyPix's documentation says every photo, video or document you import is encrypted with AES CTR 256. On iPhone, its encrypted backup goes to your own iCloud rather than the developer's servers. Neither its listing nor its docs mention creating an account.

For a forgotten password, it offers a recovery email or a backup password you set up earlier. According to LockMyPix on the App Store, it can create a fake vault with a separate code and can look like another app, such as a calculator. Its age rating notes advertising.

Good for: people who want documented encryption, a decoy vault and backups in their own iCloud.

Calculator#

Calculator# disguises itself as a calculator. According to its App Store description, it's free with ads and limitations, with a $4.99 yearly subscription, backup to iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive, and password recovery through your registered email.

Neither the listing nor the developer's product page says how, or whether, your photos are encrypted. A calculator disguise changes how the app looks; it doesn't protect the files on its own.

Good for: people who mainly want the vault to look like something else.

SPV Secret Photo Vault

According to SPV's App Store listing, SPV keeps everything on your iPhone's own storage and nothing on a server, and it's free with subscriptions starting from $2.99. It makes no encryption claim beyond PIN protection, and it doesn't publish a recovery method. The listing warns that deleting the app deletes its data, so export your files first if you ever switch. A developer reply on the listing says the icon can be changed in settings.

Good for: people who want a simple, device-only vault and accept that there's no published recovery.

VaultShield (our app)

VaultShield is the vault we make, so weigh this section accordingly. It encrypts each photo and video on your iPhone with XChaCha20-Poly1305 before storing it, with the vault's key protected by the iPhone's Secure Enclave. There's no account and no VaultShield server, so it works offline and we can't see your photos. It opens with a pattern of your own; Face ID is an optional extra layer, never a replacement.

It also offers a disguised app icon on paid plans, a duress pattern that opens a decoy vault, an in-app camera that skips your camera roll, and an optional encrypted iCloud backup. See the VaultShield photo vault for iPhone for the full feature list and VaultShield pricing for the plans: a free plan (up to 3 vaults and 100 items in total), $7.99 a month or $39.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, and a one-time Founding Lifetime plan at $59.99 for early customers.

The trade-offs: it's iPhone and iPad only, and it isn't on the App Store yet. If you forget your pattern, your 24-word recovery phrase gets you back in on the same iPhone. If you lose both, nobody can open the vault, including us. Deleting the app deletes the vault on that iPhone unless encrypted backup is on.

Good for: people who want on-device encryption, no account and no server, and are willing to keep a recovery phrase safe.

What to check before you choose#

• Set up recovery on day one. Most vault apps can only reset a password through something you added beforehand: an email, a backup password or a recovery phrase.
• Never delete the app to reset it. In most vault apps, the photos live inside the app. Private Photo Vault and SPV both warn that deleting the app deletes the photos.
• Empty Recently Deleted. Importing copies your photos into the vault. The originals stay in Photos until you delete them, and then in Recently Deleted for up to 30 days.
• Read the privacy label. The "Data Used to Track You" section shows what the developer says it uses to follow you across other companies' apps and websites.
• Hide the app too, if you need to. iOS can lock apps and hide the ones you've installed from the App Store. See how to hide apps on iPhone (and lock them).

For a side-by-side table across more features, compare photo vault apps.

Frequently asked questions#

Which photo vault app is completely free?

The iPhone Hidden album is free with no limits, because it's built into Photos. Every vault app we checked has a free version, but each limits it in some way: ads, a cap on items, or paid features like cloud backup. Check the in-app purchases section of the App Store listing before you commit.

How safe is a private photo vault?

It depends on whether the app actually encrypts your photos and how strong your lock is. Look for a developer that documents its encryption, use a lock that isn't easy to guess, and set up recovery. No app can protect photos on a jailbroken or compromised iPhone, or stop someone photographing your screen while the vault is open.

Is there a secret photo folder on iPhone?

Yes: the Hidden album in Photos, under Utilities. It's locked with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode on iOS 16 and later, and you can remove it from view by turning off Show Hidden Album in Settings, Apps, Photos.

Do I need a vault app if I have the Hidden album?

Only if someone else knows your iPhone passcode or regularly uses your phone. The Hidden album uses your iPhone's own lock, so it can't keep photos from anyone who can unlock the phone. A vault app adds a separate lock, and usually separate encryption.

Can I move a vault app to a new iPhone?

It depends on the app's backup. Some back up to their own cloud, some to your iCloud, and some keep everything on the device, so check the app's backup option before you switch. Don't delete the app from your old iPhone until the photos are safely on the new one.

The bottom line#

There's no single best app to hide photos on iPhone. If no one else knows your passcode, the free Hidden album may be all you need. If someone does, pick a vault that documents its encryption, decide whether you're happy with an account, and set up its recovery option the day you install it. Whichever you choose, delete the originals and empty Recently Deleted.