You Can Password-Protect Your Private Photos on Your iPhone. Here's How
This new iOS 16 feature lets you lock any photo and video you want -- but there's a trick to it.
You can password-protect your photos on iPhone and iPad.
For whatever reason, you might hand over your iPhone or iPad to someone so that they can go through your camera roll. Maybe you're showing off photos from a recent vacation to a family member or a funny video you downloaded to a friend -- but then you realize that there are some private photos or videos that they might scroll to. And you panic.
Of course, you could've deleted the photos or videos before you even handed over your phone, but there's another way to protect your privacy. Instead, you can use a password to protect your embarrassing or personal photos or videos in just a few seconds, thanks to a new privacy feature. Here's what you need to know.
For this to work, you'll need to be updated to at least iOS 16. Check out how to download and install the latest mobile software update to the iPhone. And you can also take a look at some of the best hidden features on iOS 16, as well as new major features like Live Activities.
Use a password to guard your sensitive photos and videos on iOS 16
Note that you won't be password-protecting your photos and videos individually. Instead, you'll be transferring them to an album, within your camera roll, that's locked with a password.
To password-protect your photos and videos, first launch the Photos application and then find the photo or video you want to keep private. You can do this individually, for a single photo or video, or use the Select button at the top to select multiple photos and videos at once. Once your photos and videos are selected, tap the three-dot menu icon and hit Hide.
If you're only hiding a single photo or video, you'll find the three-dot menu on the top-right.
This will remove the photos and videos from your current library and transfer them over to the Hidden album (you can find it at the bottom of your albums, under Utilities). By default, the Hidden album is locked on iOS 16, so any photos and videos in that folder can only be viewed with your passcode or Touch/Face ID.
Your Recently Deleted album is also password-protected.
If you ever want to bring your Hidden album photos or videos back to your regular photo library, go into the Hidden album, select your photos and videos, tap the three-dot menu button and hit Unhide.
Want more privacy tips for the iPhone? Here's how to secretly send messages to friends and family and what to know about Apple's new Lockdown Mode.