Hidden album vs locked apps vs Notes vs a vault

Updated · By THEORIST LLC, the company that makes Hushtrove

All four keep photos out of casual view, but only a vault app has a lock that is separate from your iPhone passcode. The Hidden album and a locked Photos app both open with your iPhone's Face ID or passcode S1 S2; a locked note can have its own password but can't hold videos S3; a vault app keeps photos outside your photo library entirely, with its own passcode. Pick by who you're keeping the photos from.

The table compares the iPhone's built-in options in iOS 26 and iOS 27 with a photo vault app. For the vault column we use Hushtrove, our own app, because we can describe it precisely; other vault apps differ, and our roundup compares them with the same criteria.

  Hidden album Locked Photos app Locked note Vault app (Hushtrove)
How you set it up Touch and hold a photo, tap Hide. S4 Touch and hold the Photos icon, tap Require Face ID. S2 Add the photo to a note, then lock the note. S3 Import from Photos or Files, or take photos with the in-app camera.
Opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode. S1 Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode. S2 Your iPhone passcode, or a separate Notes password; Face ID optional. S3 Its own passcode, or Face ID.
Someone who knows your iPhone passcode Can open it. Can open it. Can open it, unless you use a separate Notes password. Can't, without the vault passcode.
Videos Yes. Yes. No: notes with video attachments can't be locked. S3 Yes; free for 10 videos, unlimited with Pro.
Other devices With iCloud Photos, hidden on all of them and listed under Hidden on iCloud.com. S4 S5 The lock applies to that iPhone only; it doesn't sync. S2 Locked notes in iCloud stay locked on every device signed in to your Apple Account. S3 Stays on the iPhone, unless you turn on its encrypted backup to your own iCloud.
iCloud Shared Photo Library A hidden shared photo is hidden for all participants, who can view or unhide it. S5 Shared content stays visible to every participant on their devices. S6 Not involved. Not involved: the vault is separate from Photos.
What else stays hidden Out of the Library, other albums and the Photos widget. S4 Content stays out of search, Siri suggestions and notification previews. S2 The note's title stays visible in the list. S3 Photos and files never appear in Photos, the Files app or iPhone backups. Screenshot Shield blacks out the app's screens in screenshots.
In iCloud iCloud Photos is end-to-end encrypted only with Advanced Data Protection. S7 Same as your photo library. iCloud Notes is end-to-end encrypted only with Advanced Data Protection. S7 Encrypted on the iPhone before upload, with keys we never hold.
Recently Deleted Deleted items wait 30 days. S1 Same as your photo library. Deleted notes wait 30 days in the Notes Recently Deleted folder. S8 The vault's own Recently Deleted, 30 days. Photos you moved in still sit in the Photos Recently Deleted until you empty it.
Cost Free, part of iOS. Free, part of iOS. Free, part of iOS. Free for 100 photos and 10 videos; Pro is a one-time purchase or a subscription, prices in the app.
Best for Keeping photos out of your camera roll when you show it to people. Handing your unlocked phone to someone for a call or a map. A few images, such as a document scan, kept with private text. Photos and videos you want behind a passcode only you know.

Which one should you use?

Two things every option has in common

None of them stops someone photographing your screen with another camera, and none of them can do much if you unlock the phone and the app for someone who asks. Privacy tools protect against the people you don't hand the passcode to.

Questions

Is a locked note safer than the Hidden album?

It can be, if you set a separate Notes password, because the Hidden album always opens with your iPhone passcode. But locked notes can't hold videos, the note title stays visible, and Apple can't help if you forget a custom Notes password.

Can I hide the Photos app on iPhone?

No. Apple only lets you hide apps you downloaded from the App Store. You can lock Photos so it needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to open.

Does a vault app replace the Hidden album?

For the photos you move into it, yes: they leave your photo library and live in the vault instead. Many people use both, the Hidden album for everyday clutter and a vault for photos that need their own passcode.

Related guides

Sources

All read on . "Not stated" means we didn't find it in these sources, not that a feature is missing.

  1. Apple Support, "Delete or hide photos and videos on iPhone", iPhone User Guide (iOS 27; the iOS 26 version reads the same). support.apple.com/en-us/guide/iphone/iphb4defbde9/ios
  2. Apple Support, "Lock or hide an app on iPhone", iPhone User Guide. support.apple.com/en-us/guide/iphone/iph00f208d05/ios
  3. Apple Support, "Lock your notes on iPhone", iPhone User Guide. support.apple.com/en-us/guide/iphone/iphf177bb154/ios
  4. Apple Support, "Hide photos on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Vision Pro with the Hidden album" (published March 16, 2026). support.apple.com/en-us/104987
  5. Apple Support, "Hide your photos and videos on iCloud.com", iCloud User Guide. support.apple.com/en-us/guide/icloud/mmea67686c65/icloud
  6. Apple Support, "Use iCloud Shared Photo Library on iPhone", iPhone User Guide. support.apple.com/en-us/guide/iphone/iph1a6c849ab/ios
  7. Apple Support, "iCloud data security overview". support.apple.com/en-us/102651
  8. Apple Support, "Delete and recover notes on iPhone", iPhone User Guide. support.apple.com/en-us/guide/iphone/iph904eee369/ios
  9. Apple Support, "Lock iPhone to one app with Guided Access", iPhone User Guide. support.apple.com/en-us/guide/iphone/iph7fad0d10/ios

Apple, iPhone, Face ID, iCloud and other product names are trademarks of their owners, named here only to identify their products. Spotted a mistake? Email support@hushtrove.com and we'll correct it.