How to hide private photos on Android

All the photos you take on your smartphone are saved in the device's photo library so everyone can see them, even your private photos. The article below will guide you through some ways to hide photos on Android.

• How to use NEV Privacy - Hide Pictures, application on Android
• How to hide photos, videos, personal data on iPhone/iPad?
• How to Hide Important Data Files and Apps in Android Devices

How to hide photos on Android

• 1. Use built-in tools on Android
  • Hide photos on Samsung phones
  • Hide photos in Google Photos
• 2. Use a file manager app to hide photos from Gallery
  • Create new folder
  • Create .nomedia file
• 3. Use a third-party app to hide photos on Android
  • Vaulty
  • Keepsafe Vault
  • LockMYPix

1. Use built-in tools on Android

Almost all Android phones have a built-in option to hide photos from the gallery. Samsung uses its own app for this, while other phone makers can do it through Google Photos. Let's take a look at both methods.

Note : For security reasons, it is not possible to take screenshots in secure or locked folders on your phone.

Hide photos on Samsung phones

If you have a Samsung phone running Android Nougat 7.0 or later, you can use Samsung's Secure Folder feature . It lets you keep private files, photos, and even apps in a separate, password-protected area.

To set up Secure Folder for the first time, go to Settings > Biometrics and security > Secure Folder . You'll need to sign in with your Samsung account. Once signed in, your device will prompt you to choose your preferred locking method. Once you're done, Secure Folder will be accessible from your app drawer. To hide photos in Secure Folder, open the app and tap Add Files .

Photos in Secure Folder are stored on your device, not anywhere else. They are not backed up anywhere else and will be deleted if you have to factory reset your phone.

Hide photos in Google Photos

Almost every Android phone comes with Google Photos installed . You can set up a Locked Folder in Google Photos to hide your private photos from your main gallery. When you move photos to this folder, they won't show up in any photo browsing apps on your device.

To set it up, go to Library > Utilities > Locked Folder and follow the onscreen instructions. Just unlock it with your fingerprint or PIN, then tap Move items . Select the photos and videos you want to add, then tap Move twice. To move them out of the folder again, select them and tap Move. You can also delete items from the folder.

Locked Folder is a great feature, but it can get you into trouble if you’re not careful. Google Photos acts as a cloud-based photo backup service, but the contents of your private folder won’t be backed up (and if they are, they’ll be deleted). You’ll need to move the photos out of the locked folder to move them to the cloud.

2. Use a file manager app to hide photos from Gallery

If you don't have a Samsung or LG phone, you can still hide private photos, but the process is much more complicated. You can use a file manager app or a third-party tool to hide photos. Let's explore how to hide photos using a file manager app first.

Create new folder

Before you start, you need to install a high-quality file manager application on your phone. There are many options on the Play Store, if you don't know which application to install, you can refer to the article Top 10 good file manager applications on Android .

Once you have installed the file manager app, open it. You will need to create a new folder. Next, move all the photos you want to hide into this new folder. The way to move photos varies from app to app, but generally you will need to press and hold the file you want to move and select the option. Any moved files will no longer be in the photo gallery app.

Create .nomedia file

If the number of photos to hide is too large, moving them manually is not possible, you need to create a .nomedia file in the folder you want to hide. When the phone sees the .nomedia file in the folder, it will not load the folder's contents when scanning the folder.

To create the file, you need to use a third-party file manager app to navigate to the folder you want to hide and create a new file in the .nomedia folder. This file doesn't need any content, just the file name. To reverse the process, simply delete the .nomedia file.

Note: Both methods of hiding photos from the default photo library above, the photo will still be visible in the file manager application, it is not password protected.

3. Use a third-party app to hide photos on Android

Vaulty

Vaulty has established itself as the top app for hiding content. Hundreds of thousands of users have left positive reviews on the Google Play Store.

Vaulty comes with its own photo gallery. Any photos you lock are only viewable within it. The gallery also lets you create multiple vaults, meaning you can have different sets of photos to show to different people. All of your content is password protected, and the app even backs up your media so it's safe if you ever lose your phone.

Vaulty is available in both premium and free versions.

Keepsafe Vault

Keepsafe Vault is Vaulty's biggest competitor. Their feature sets are very similar; all of your photos are password-protected and encrypted, and you can back them up to the app's cloud storage.

The app also comes with a hide-your-screen-icon feature, meaning no one who picks up your phone will know you're hiding anything. Finally, it has a Snapchat-esque self-destruct feature, allowing you to share photos that disappear after 20 seconds with other users of the app.

Keepsafe Vault is available in both premium and free versions.

LockMYPix

LockMYPix uses industry-standard AES encryption to hide unlimited photos and videos on your Android phone or tablet. It also has some outstanding features such as SD card photo support, encrypted backup, GIF support.

LockMYPix is ​​available in both premium and free versions.

In addition, you can refer to some other photo hiding applications on Android in the article 4 free software to hide photos and videos on Android .

Here are some ways to hide private photos on your Android device. Samsung and LG phone users can use the built-in tool and others use third-party apps.

Good luck!