Hide Photos in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16: Hands-On Guide

Apple has slightly changed the process of hiding images on the iPhone. That’s the reason why folks who have upgraded to the latest iteration of iOS are wondering where the hide option has gone. Frankly speaking, I had also found myself in a similar situation. However, after a bit of digging, I was able to discover the option. 

Conceal Photos on iOS 16 and iPadOS 16

  1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Photos app. 
  2. Now, tap on Select at the top-right corner of the screen. 
  3. Select the images that you would like to hide.
  4. Tap on the ellipsis or the triple-dot icon at the bottom right corner of the screen. 
  5. Finally, choose the Hide option in the menu and you are pretty much done!

Lock Hidden Album with Face ID or Touch in iOS 16/iPadOS 16

Unlike before, you can now lock your hidden album with Face ID or Touch ID. This is a pretty easy and secure way to prevent unauthorized access to your album. Notably, iOS 16 also allows you to safeguard the recently deleted folder with biometric authentication. Hence, no one will be able to have access to your recently deleted images, even if you forget to wipe them out permanently. 

  1. Go to the Settings app on your device.
  2. Scroll down and select Photos from the list of apps. 
  3. Now, ensure that the toggle for Use Face ID/Touch ID is turned on.  That’s it! Henceforth, Face ID or Touch ID will be required when opening the Hidden and Recently Deleted Folder. It’s worth pointing out that if anyone will want to disable this feature, they will need to first authenticate using biometric authentication.

Hide Hidden Album on iPhone or iPad 

By default, the Hidden Album appears in the Photos app (Inside the Albums -> Utilities section). But if you want to keep this album away from the prying eyes, you can do that as well. 

  1. Navigate to the Settings app on your iPhone and choose Photos. 
  2. Now, turn off the toggle next to Show Hidden Album to stop it from appearing inside the Photos app. 

Wrap Up…

The stock photos app has covered all the bases to be a top-notch photo storage and management app. Though Google Photos remains a popular choice across platforms, the Apple Photos app is arguably a preferred option among iDevice users. Features like the ability to merge duplicate photos and remove background from images have made it even better. What do you have to say about this app and the sort of improvements you still want to see in it? Make sure to share your invaluable feedback with us.