iOS 14: How to Actually Hide the Hidden Photos Album

[MacRumors]

Sometimes you might not want certain pictures shot on your iPhone or iPad to be visible in your Photo Library, but for whatever reason, you might not want to outright delete them either. That's why Apple's Photos app includes an option to hide certain photos from the main library.

Prior to iOS 14, this option would hide pictures from the Photos and For You sections of the Photos app, but they would still show up in the Albums section under an album called "Hidden," which wasn't exactly an inconspicuous way of squirreling away private pictures.

With that in mind, Apple has added an option in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 that allows users to hide the Hidden album from the Photos app, quite literally. The following steps run you through the process of hiding a picture and then making sure the Hidden album is concealed in the Photos app.

Once you've completed the steps, the Hidden album won't show up in the ‌Photos‌ app; just be aware that you'll still see the Hidden album when you use the image picker in third-party apps, so it's not completely invisible from prying eyes.

How to Hide a Photo

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Select in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Tap the pictures you want to hide.
4. Tap the Share button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. (It looks like a square with an arrow pointing out.)
5. In the Share Sheet's actions menu, select Hide.
   
   
   
   Tap the prompt that appears at the bottom of the screen to confirm.

Again, this hides the photo from the general album view, but conspicuously places the photo in an album called "Hidden". To hide that "Hidden" folder in iOS 14:

How to Hide the 'Hidden' Folder in Photos

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and select Photos.
   Make sure the switch next to Hidden Album is in the grey OFF position.
   
   

If you ever want your Hidden album to appear in Photos again, go to Settings -> Photos and then toggle the switch next to Hidden Album so that it's in the green ON position.

Note that while the album is hidden in the Photos app, it can appear in the photo picker from 3rd party apps. At best this just makes it harder for casual snoopers from running across your private photos.

Article Link: iOS 14: How to Actually Hide the Hidden Photos Album

 

[macsrcool1234]

nudes. this is for nudes, guys.

 

[heimo]

Thank You. This is very handy for my special selfies.

 

[andywaynebrooks]

why don’t they just allow you to
Lock the album with face/Touch ID or a passcode?

 

[cwosigns]

Wow. Chris Evans handed you the perfect use case, and no mention? #weaksauce

 

[dannyyankou]

Would’ve come in handy for Chris Evans the other day

 

[CalMin]

Sometimes you might not want certain pictures shot on your iPhone or iPad to be visible in your Photo Library, but for whatever reason, you might not want to outright delete them either.

🤣🤣🤣

 

[luismedina]

We should have an option to Face ID or passcode protect this Hidden album, for a company which says to care a lot for privacy this should be mandatory.

 

[GeoStructural]

We all know what this album is for.

Thanks for the guide, by the way. But I wish the hidden album (or any album) could be password-locked or accessible only with Face ID/Touch ID.

Better yet, bring GUEST MODE to iPhone, usage scenarios:

• You want to make a call? sure...
• Can I quickly look up something on the Internet in your phone?... go for it...
• Want to handle the music? By all means.

All without access to our private information (chats, nudes, credit cards, passwords, emails, notes, phone directory, etc.)

I hate to sound so bitchy but just gotta plug my cause: not a fan of dark mode.

Have you tried not using it? It might work.

 

[Regbial]

If only Chris Evans had seen this a week or so ago... 😢

(It's really... not a big deal at all... but hey, seems the world is OBSESSED with celebrity. They are just... your fellow human beings who got really lucky with fame/money/recognition. (yes, if only many of them (thinking of that stupid put of touch COVID video a while back of some of them singing) thought the same thing but the other way around..))

 

[howywood]

Thank goodness my equally embarrassing collection of my penis pics and balding pics have a hiding spot now.

 

[Futhark]

So am I right in saying you hide images in the hidden album and you then flick the switch to hide the album so now the pics can't be seen even by you until you flick the switch back? touchID or faceID would surely be the way to go for a private album.

 

[Icaras]

Why can we password protect Notes, but not Photos?

 

[ghostface147]

nudes. this is for nudes, guys.

Or for couples too.

 

[gaximus]

I love the hidden photos album. When someone leaves their phone out, I know exactly where to go to find the “good” photos, instead of trying to swipe through a ton of photos in the main album. /s

 

[huffy15]

Can't believe there's still no way to offline specific albums. I'm regularly offline and I don't have enough space to have all my photos locally. It's like all or nothing

 

[smarch]

I hate to sound so bitchy but just gotta plug my cause: not a fan of dark mode.

 

[randolorian]

I think the Share Sheet has been overloaded with functionality that's not related to sharing. Want to find text on a webpage in Safari? It's in the Share Sheet! It should probably be renamed to "Action Sheet" or something and given a more appropriate icon.

 

[iReality85]

I feel like this photo represents the main issue though. That "Hide" is still among all the other options, and you have to scroll down past "Copy," "Duplicate," and even the Messages app to get there. One wrong slip of the finger and that special photo goes elsewhere, lol.

IMO, the "Hide" icon (eye with a line through it) should be right next to the Delete trashcan in the grid view.

 

[smarch]

Totally agree... need this for Mac and for iPhone. mostly because the iCloud photo syncing is horrifically inconsistent. Sometimes it’s humming along great (usually happens to be when I couldn’t care less) and invariably when I need something fast it’ll be stuck on “downloading 367 pictures” for like 3 weeks. And god forbid I need to move my library to a new hard drive. That’s a 6 - 12 month project in my experience... I turn into a mystic trying to find the perfect combination of restarts and updates and the like to try and kickstart the magic syncing machine. Still stuck at 367.... fix your syncing bros

 

[ccsicecoke]

They need to stop uploading everything from photos to iCloud. Only those pictures actually took by the camera on the phone is needed for iCloud backup

 

[nylonsteel]

good feature - to know about
but why it doesnt hide photos from 3rd party is beyond me

 

[Freida]

I really don't get why we don't have option to use touchID or FaceID for hidden stuff and also launching apps. If I lend my phone to someone for a call or anything, I want my whatsapp, messenger, photos etc. inaccessible. That way I don't have to look like a suspicious *******. And I can have peace of mind.
Its not that I hide anything but there are certain conversations etc. that are simply private.

 

[Psychicbob]

Shouldn’t this be in the “Sex” forum category?

 

[Spock]

I hate to sound so bitchy but just gotta plug my cause: not a fan of dark mode.

That’s why Apple gave us choice.