Secure camera: photos that never touch your camera roll

Updated 22 October 2026 · By Hidy

Photos and videos you take with Hidy's own camera go straight into the open vault, encrypted. They never reach your Photos library, so there's no original to delete and nothing for iCloud Photos to sync.

Quick answer
  • Open a vault, tap add, then Take photo or video. Included in the free plan.
  • Photos and videos never reach your library, Recently Deleted or iCloud Photos.
  • Best for IDs, documents, receipts and anything you don't want in Memories or widgets.

The problem with importing later

Every photo you take with the iPhone Camera app lands in your library first. From there it can appear in Memories, widgets, search, shared albums and iCloud Photos, before you've had a chance to move it. Even after you import it into a vault and delete it, iOS keeps the original in Recently Deleted for up to 30 days.

Hidy's camera skips all of that. The photo exists only inside the vault.

How it works

  1. Open the vault you want the photo in.
  2. Tap add, choose Take photo or video, and shoot.
  3. Hidy encrypts it into the vault. It doesn't save anything to Photos.
Want photos your iPhone passcode can't open?

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.

Get Hidy Vault

Good uses

Limits

Frequently asked questions

Do photos from Hidy's camera appear in Recently Deleted?

No. They're never saved to the Photos library, so there's no original and no Recently Deleted copy.

Are camera photos included in the free limit?

Yes. They count toward the free plan's 100 photos and 10 videos per vault.

Can I move a camera photo to my library later?

You can share a readable copy from the vault, for example to save it. That copy is outside the vault's protection.

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