Guides

Plain-English help for keeping photos, IDs and documents private on an iPhone.

How to Lock Photos on iPhone (and Why Your Passcode Opens Them)Lock photos on iPhone with Face ID: hide them in the locked Hidden album, lock the whole Photos app, or use a separate password your passcode can't open.
How to Lock Notes on iPhoneLock a note on iPhone in a few taps: open it, tap More, then Lock. Here's how to choose a passcode or a separate password, what can't be locked, and what to do if you forget.
How to Permanently Delete Photos on iPhoneDeleted photos stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days. Here's how to remove them for good on iPhone, plus the copies in iCloud, shared albums, chats and backups.
Can You Trust Photo Vault App Ratings? Listed Stars vs Recent ReviewsOf 22 photo vault apps, 10 averaged a full star lower in recent reviews than their App Store rating. Why listed stars lag, and how to read reviews before you choose.
How to Lock Apps on iPhone with Face ID (and Hide Them)Lock any app on iPhone with Face ID: touch and hold it, tap Require Face ID. Here's how to hide apps too, which apps can't be locked, and what still shows.
What 10,829 App Store Reviews Say About Photo Vault Apps (2026 Study)We analyzed 10,829 recent reviews of 53 photo vault apps. 1 in 4 is one star, and in the past year, 27% of one-star reviews were about lost photos.
Why Photo Vault Apps Lose Photos: 5 Causes From 2,700 One-Star ReviewsIn the past year, 27% of one-star photo vault app reviews were about lost photos. The five causes reviewers describe, and how to make sure it doesn't happen to you.
Are Hidden Photos Saved to iCloud? (And Do They Transfer to a New iPhone?)Yes: with iCloud Photos on, hidden photos sync to iCloud and your other devices. Here's what that means, how they move to a new iPhone, and how to keep photos out of iCloud.
Calculator Vault Apps Compared (2026): Privacy Labels and Claims of 20 AppsCalculator vault apps disguise a photo vault as a calculator. We compared 20 on the App Store: 65% declare data used to track you, and only 15% name the encryption they use.
Do Photo Vault Apps Actually Encrypt Your Photos? What 69 App Store Listings SayOnly 42% of photo vault apps mention encryption in their App Store description, and just 9% name AES. Here's what the claims mean and how to tell a real encrypted vault from a hiding app.
Does iPhone Have a Guest Mode? How to Lend Your Phone SafelyiPhone has no guest mode or second user. Here's how to hand over your phone without handing over everything: Guided Access, locked apps, and keeping private photos out of reach.
Hidden Album vs Locked Notes vs Photo Vault vs Files: Which Keeps Photos Private?A side-by-side comparison of every way to keep photos private on iPhone: the Hidden album, locked notes, the Files app with Face ID, and photo vault apps, across 12 features.
How to Hide Videos on iPhoneHide videos on iPhone with the built-in Hidden album, keep it out of sight, and know its limits. Plus how to lock videos behind a passcode of their own.
How to Lock a Folder on iPhone (What Works and What Doesn't)iPhone can't put a password on a folder in the Files app or on the Home Screen. Here's what you can lock instead: apps with Face ID, notes, the Hidden album, or a vault.
How to Make a Private Photo Album on iPhoneiPhone can't lock a single album you make. Here are the four ways to get a private photo album anyway, from the built-in Hidden album to a locked vault.
How to Remove Location from Photos on iPhoneYour iPhone saves where every photo was taken. Here's how to remove the location before you share, strip it from photos you already have, and stop saving it at all.
How to Scan a Passport or ID with Your iPhoneScan your passport or driver's license into a clean PDF with the Notes or Files app, no extra app needed, then keep the scan somewhere safer than your camera roll.
Photo Vault App Prices Compared (2026): What 69 Apps ChargeWeekly, monthly, yearly or lifetime? We compared the in-app prices of 69 photo vault apps on the App Store. The median is $24.99 a year, and lifetime deals start under $10.
Photo Vault App Privacy Report 2026: 76% of Popular Vault Apps Say They Track YouWe checked the App Store listings of 69 photo vault apps. Most declare data used to track you, few say they collect nothing, and only 3% of popular ones name the encryption they use.
Photo Vault Apps That Don't Collect Your Data (2026 List)Only 1 in 5 photo vault apps declares 'Data Not Collected' on the App Store, and just 4 popular ones do. Here's the list, what the label means, and how to check any app yourself.
Photo Vault Apps With a Decoy Passcode (2026): Which Ones and How They CompareA decoy passcode opens a fake vault when someone makes you unlock the app. One in three photo vault apps describes one. Here's how they compare on privacy and what to check.
How to Turn Off Shared with You Photos on iPhoneStop photos from Messages showing up in your Photos app, for everyone or one chat, and turn off Shared Albums and Shared Library if you want those gone too.
Calculator Apps That Hide Pictures: How They Work and What to Watch ForCalculator vault apps hide photos behind a working calculator. How the disguise works, the risks researchers found, and safer ways to keep photos private.
How to Turn Off iCloud Photos (Without Losing Your Photos)Turn off iCloud Photos on one iPhone or your whole account, stop photos syncing to your other devices, and keep full copies of every photo first.
Is a Photo Vault App Safe? 7 Things to Check Before You Trust OneMany photo vault apps only hide your photos. How to tell a safe vault from a risky one: encryption, accounts, privacy labels, ads, recovery and backups.
How to Recover Photos From a Photo Vault App (Forgot Passcode, Deleted App, New Phone)Locked out of a photo vault app, deleted it, or switched phones? What you can recover, where to look first, and why some vaults can't be recovered at all.
Where Are Hidden Photos on iPhone? How to Find and See the Hidden AlbumWhere hidden photos are on iPhone in iOS 18, how to see them, how to show the Hidden album if it's missing, and what it can't protect.
How to Hide Photos on iPhone (and When the Hidden Album Isn't Enough)Step-by-step: hide photos with the iPhone's built-in Hidden album, lock it with Face ID, and know when you need a real encrypted photo vault instead.
How to Store a Passport Photo Securely on Your PhoneKeeping a copy of your passport on your iPhone is smart for travel. Here's how to do it without leaving it in your camera roll for every app to see.
Where to Store Your Seed Phrase on iPhone (and Where Never To)Why screenshots and Notes are the worst places for a crypto recovery phrase, what malware actually did to them, and the safer ways to keep a copy.