How to Lock the Photos App on iPhone

From your most vulnerable moments to your most cherished memories, the Photos app is often the most private app on your iPhone. Of course, you may want to maintain your privacy by locking the entire app or hiding specific photos. Apple makes it easy to do both.

How to lock the Photos app

Previously, you had to go through the hassle of creating custom shortcuts or using Screen Time to lock the Photos app on your iPhone. Thankfully, with the release of iOS 18, there is now a built-in feature that lets you lock the app with a passcode, Touch ID , or Face ID , keeping your apps safe and away from prying eyes.

So if your iPhone is compatible with iOS 18 or later, make sure the app is up to date. Once you're set up, here's what you need to do:

1. Locate the Photos app on your iPhone's home screen, press and hold the app's icon.
2. A quick action menu with several options will appear. Just select Require Face ID/Touch ID/Passcode .
3. A prompt will appear asking you to confirm whether you want to lock the Photos app with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. Confirm by tapping Require Face ID/Touch ID/Passcode .
4. Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or by entering your iPhone passcode.
5. A prompt may appear showing which apps already have access to your Photos app. For these apps, your photos can be accessed without using Face ID. Tap Done in the prompt to continue.

If you want to customize which apps can access your Photos app after securing it, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Photos , then tap any app you want to modify and choose one of the following options: None , Limited Access , or Full Access .

From now on, every time you try to open the Photos app, you'll need to authenticate with your passcode or Face/Touch ID. Even when trying to access the app's content through other apps (unless they already have limited or full access), you'll still be asked to verify your identity.

Additionally, app content won't appear in notification previews, Spotlight searches, or Siri suggestions.

If you want to unlock the app, just follow the steps above and select Don't Require Face ID/Touch ID/Passcode from the quick action menu.

How to Hide Specific Photos on iPhone

You may not necessarily want to lock the entire Photos app. Or there may be instances when someone is scrolling through your iPhone's photo library and you want to keep some photos private.

In these cases, hiding specific photos on iPhone might be a better option. Here's what you need to do:

1. Go to the Photos app and tap and hold on any photo you want to hide.
2. Then, select Hide from the menu that appears.
3. Confirm you want to hide the photo by tapping Hide Photo .

The photo will disappear from your main photo grid and be placed in the Hidden album . To find the album, scroll down past the main photo grid and locate the Widgets section .

Here you'll find the Hidden album . To access your photos, just open the album and tap View Album , then use Face ID, Touch ID, or your iPhone's passcode to authenticate.

While this may be enough for most users, your photos aren't technically completely hidden. Someone who knows your passcode and is familiar with your iPhone could still access the folder.

Luckily, you can go one step further and hide the Hidden album as well. To do so, go to Settings > Apps > Photos and turn off the switch next to Show Hidden album in the Albums section .

Whenever you want to access your hidden photos again, just follow the steps above and turn the switch back on. The Hidden album will reappear in the Utilities section. Just make sure to turn that switch off when you're done!

The only remaining possibility is that a truly curious person could figure out how to “unhide” the Hidden folder by going into the Settings app. But in most cases, this is more than enough!

Luckily, you don’t have to rely on a third-party app blocker to lock the Photos app on your iPhone. By following the steps above, you can lock the app in seconds or simply hide your photos.