How to Lock Photos on iPhone So Only You Can Open Them
"Locking" a photo on iPhone can mean two different things. Either the photo is behind your phone's own lock (Face ID or passcode), or it is behind a separate lock that only you know. The first is easy. The second is what you want if anyone else knows your passcode.
Lock photos with Face ID (built in)
iPhone does not lock single photos inside the main library, but it does lock the Hidden album.
- In Photos, select the photos you want to lock.
- Tap More (three dots), then Hide.
- Make sure the lock is on: go to Settings, then Photos (on iOS 18 and later: Settings, Apps, Photos), and check that Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID / Use Passcode) is turned on.
Now the Hidden album asks for Face ID before it opens. If Face ID fails, it asks for your iPhone passcode.
What this protects: your photos from someone scrolling your camera roll. What it does not protect: your photos from anyone who knows your passcode.
Lock photos with a separate password
Option A: a locked note
Add the photo to a note, then lock the note with a separate Notes password (not the device passcode). Remember to delete the original and empty Recently Deleted. This is fine for a few images. It gets clumsy past a dozen and it is not built for video.
Option B: a vault app
A vault app gives your photos their own lock and their own encrypted storage. Before you trust one, check three things on its website or App Store page:
- Is the code separate from the phone passcode? It should be.
- Is the encryption described? Look for a named algorithm such as AES-256 and how the key is made from your code.
- What happens if you forget the code? An honest answer is either a recovery phrase only you hold or a plain "nobody can, not even us". A worrying answer is "email us and we will unlock it", because that means someone else can.
Units locks each vault behind a pattern you draw. The pattern is stretched into a key with PBKDF2 over 600,000 rounds, and every file is encrypted with AES-256-GCM on the phone. There is no account and no server, and no recovery: if you forget the pattern, nobody can open the vault, including us.
A quick checklist
- Turn on the Face ID lock for the Hidden album even if you use a vault app.
- Empty Recently Deleted after moving photos anywhere.
- If you share an Apple Account or iCloud Photos with someone, remember that hidden photos still sync to every device signed in to that account.
- Write down any recovery phrase on paper. A screenshot of it defeats the purpose.