Hidy VaultHidy Vault vs the iPhone Hidden album
The Hidden album is free, built in and good at keeping photos out of a casual scroll. It unlocks with your iPhone passcode and stays in your photo library. Hidy Vault keeps encrypted copies outside the library, behind a pattern your passcode doesn't open.
- Hidden album: best for keeping photos out of your Library, Memories and widgets. Free. Opens with Face ID or your iPhone passcode.
- Hidy Vault: best when someone close to you knows your passcode, or the files are IDs and documents. Opens only with its own pattern.
- Many people use both: Hidden for the casual stuff, a vault for what really matters.
Side by side
| iPhone Hidden album | Hidy Vault | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens with | Face ID, Touch ID or iPhone passcode | A pattern you draw, per vault |
| Opens with your iPhone passcode | Yes | No |
| Where photos live | Your Photos library, in Hidden | Encrypted copies inside Hidy |
| On other devices | Hidden on every device with your iCloud Photos | Only where you restore or sync a vault |
| Separate spaces | One Hidden album | One vault per pattern |
| Documents and notes | No | Yes |
| Hide the album itself | Yes, Show Hidden Album off | No list of vaults is shown |
| Cost | Free | Free for 3 vaults; Pro for more |
Checked 22 October 2026. iOS details from Apple Support, linked below.
Where the Hidden album is the right choice
If you just want photos out of your main grid, out of Memories and out of the Photos widget, Hidden does that with two taps and costs nothing. It's locked by default since iOS 16, and you can turn off Show Hidden Album in Settings so the album isn't even listed.
If you are deciding between the built-in album and a vault, see hide videos on iPhone for a side-by-side comparison.
The Hidden album still syncs to iCloud, which is one of the differences covered in hidden photos and iCloud.
For the underlying question of what Apple's documentation does and does not say, see can Apple see hidden photos.
Hidy Vault keeps photos, videos and documents in encrypted vaults that open only with a pattern you draw. No account, no Hidy server. Free for 3 vaults.
Where it falls short
- Same key as the phone. If Face ID fails, your passcode opens it. A partner, a child or anyone who has seen you type the passcode can get in.
- Same library everywhere. With iCloud Photos, hidden photos are part of the library on every device signed in to your Apple Account, such as a shared iPad or an old Mac.
- Photos only. ID scans as PDFs, notes and other files have no Hidden album.
What Hidy Vault does differently
- A separate key. Each vault is encrypted with a key derived from its own pattern. Your iPhone passcode doesn't open it. See pattern encryption.
- Outside the library. Imported copies live in Hidy's encrypted storage. Delete the originals and they're gone from Photos too, after Recently Deleted empties.
- More than photos. Documents, notes and folders, plus a camera that never saves to Photos.
Where Hidy is weaker
- No reset. Forget the pattern without a recovery phrase and the vault is gone. Apple can help you with your Apple Account; nobody can help with a lost Hidy pattern.
- An extra app. The Hidden album is already there. Hidy has to be installed, set up and remembered.
- No independent audit yet. Our security page lists the limits.
Moving photos from Hidden into Hidy
- Install Hidy Vault and create a vault.
- Import from Photos and select the photos. Hidy encrypts copies.
- Let Hidy delete the originals. iOS asks you to confirm and keeps them in Recently Deleted for up to 30 days; empty it if you want them gone now.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Hidden album encrypted?
Your iPhone encrypts its storage, and the Hidden album is locked behind Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. But it uses the same lock as the rest of the phone: whoever has the passcode can open it.
Can I use the Hidden album and Hidy Vault together?
Yes. They don't conflict. Keep everyday hidden photos in Hidden and move the ones that need a separate lock into a vault.
Does Hidy Vault replace iCloud Photos?
No. Hidy keeps its own encrypted copies, with optional encrypted iCloud backup. Your iCloud Photos library is unchanged unless you delete originals after importing.
