How to hide photos on your iPhone with iOS 16

There are several reasons why you would want to hide photos on your iPhone. Maybe you took an embarrassing photo of your brother and need to keep it safe while you're ready to tease him.

Or maybe you're planning a gift for your partner and don't want them to find the evidence before they receive it. Whatever the reason, here's how to hide photos in iOS 16.

In situations like these, the ability to hide photos on your phone becomes invaluable, especially if you have children or friends who use your device frequently.

Here, we'll detail how to hide your images on your iPhone or iPad – the methods are almost identical.

Note that Apple has changed a bit how this used to work with the new version of iOS 16.

How to hide your photos with the Photos app

The quickest way to hide photos on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch is to use the native Photos app. It essentially removes selected images from all available views in the Photos app, but doesn't store them in a locked vault.

Anyone with access to your device can still tap the Hidden folder listed in Utility Services at the Albums guide and see what you are hiding. You can even access them on a Mac.

Step 1: Tap Home screen icon to open Photos application or use To look for to search.

Step 2: Find it album which contains the photos you need to hide. If the application opens in Library By default, skip this step and search there directly.

Step 3: Tap Select button located in the upper right corner to open the multiple selection menu.

Step 4: Tap all the photos you want to hide.

Step 5: Tap Overflow icon displayed in the lower right corner. Looks (…).

Step 6: The selected photos will now be moved to the Hidden album listed in Utility Services in the tab Albums.

How to unhide or view hidden photos

Unhide or view hidden photos is as easy as browsing the album section and scrolling to the bottom. We'll show you how.

Step 1: Tap to open the Photos application.

Step 2: Tap Albums tab listed at the bottom.

Step 3: Scroll down and tap Hidden folder listed in Utility Services. You will have a FaceID prompt at this point to enable access.

Step 4: Tap Select button displayed in the upper right corner.

Step 5: Tap all the photos you want to view.

Step 6: Tap Overflow button located in the lower left corner. As before, it resembles an ellipse enclosed by a circle.

Step 7: Tap Show option in the pop-up menu. The photos will return to their original locations. Alternatively, you can tap Add to album to move them to a specific album.