Hidy VaultPassword album sharing on iPhone: photos or passwords?
"Password album sharing" means two different things on iPhone. It can be a shared photo album you protect with a password, or Apple's Passwords app sharing a group of logins. Neither is a locked photo album with a password.
- Photos: Shared Albums use an invite or a link, not a password.
- Passwords app: Groups share logins with people in your contacts on iOS 17 or later.
- Neither gives you a password-protected photo album. A vault app does that.
What does "password album sharing" actually mean?
People search this phrase for two different jobs. One is sharing photos with a small group, ideally behind some kind of lock. The other is sharing logins with family or a partner. iPhone handles these in two separate places, and neither one is a password-protected photo album.
So the honest answer up front: iOS has no feature called a password album. Shared Albums in Photos use invites and links. The Passwords app shares groups of logins. If you want photos that open only with a secret, you need a vault app that encrypts the files.
Option 1: Shared Albums in Photos
Shared Albums let you send photos and videos to specific people, or to anyone holding a link. Apple documents the setup like this:
- Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos and turn on Shared Albums.
- Open Photos > Collections > Shared Albums and tap Add.
- Pick photos or videos, then enter a Shared Album Name.
- Tap Sharing Options and choose People You Choose or Anyone with the Link.
- Optionally turn on Make Album Temporary, which expires the album after 30 days.
- Tap Create.
You can add people later from the album's More button, then the album name, then Add Participants. You can also turn off Subscribers Can Post so only you add photos, and remove someone with Remove Subscriber.
Notice what is missing: a password. Access is controlled by who you invite or who has the link. With People You Choose, an uninvited person who gets the link can request access, and you decide.
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.
Option 2: Shared password groups in the Passwords app
If your real goal is sharing logins, Apple's Passwords app has a Groups feature. Tap Groups > New Shared Group, name it, tap Add People, choose contacts, then select credentials and tap Move.
Two conditions matter. Everyone you add must be in your contacts, and everyone needs an iPhone, iPad or Mac on iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14 or later.
This is for logins, not photos. Do not try to store private images in a password entry's notes field and call it an album.
Shared Albums vs shared password groups
| Shared Albums (Photos) | Shared Groups (Passwords) | |
|---|---|---|
| What you share | Photos and videos | Logins and passkeys |
| How access is granted | Invite list or link | Invite from contacts |
| Password on the album | None | Not applicable |
| Expiry option | Yes, 30 days | No |
| Device requirement | Apple devices | iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14 or later |
What if you want photos behind a secret?
Shared Albums are built for showing, not for hiding. Anyone in the album can view the photos, and the album sits in Photos where anyone holding your unlocked phone can browse it.
A vault app takes the opposite approach. In Hidy Vault, photos are encrypted with AES-256-GCM before they are stored, including file names and thumbnails. You open a vault by drawing a pattern on a 5×5 grid. Each pattern opens its own vault, and there is no list of vaults on the lock screen.
For sharing, Hidy Pro works differently from a Shared Album. You send a 12-word invite that is valid for 48 hours and works for one person. That person chooses Join a shared vault on the lock screen and picks their own pattern. Syncing runs through the owner's iCloud and is end-to-end encrypted. Removing someone stops future syncing, but copies already on their device stay there. The full flow is in share a vault with Hidy Vault Pro.
Limits you should know
- No album password exists in iOS. Any guide promising one is describing a third-party app or a workaround.
- Shared Albums are not end-to-end encrypted, even with Advanced Data Protection on. Apple lists them among the sharing features that stay outside it.
- Hidy has no Face ID or Touch ID unlock. The pattern is the way in, plus an optional 12-word recovery phrase per vault.
- Hidy has no independent cryptographic audit yet. The encryption is real, but no outside firm has reviewed it.
- An open vault is readable on screen. Hidy locks when the app goes to the background, but a photo on screen can be photographed by someone beside you.
- Sharing out of Hidy gives a readable copy. Once a file leaves the vault, the recipient can do what they like with it.
Which should you use?
Use a Shared Album when the goal is a family trip folder or a group of baby photos, and everyone involved is fine seeing everything. Use a shared password group when the goal is logins for a household.
Use a vault when the photos are private and the point is that they stay private. If someone already knows your iPhone passcode, a Shared Album or the Hidden album will not stop them. That situation is covered in my partner knows my iPhone passcode.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put a password on a shared photo album?
No. Apple's Shared Albums use an invite list or a link, plus an optional 30-day expiry. There is no album password.
Do people I invite need an Apple device?
For shared password groups, yes: iOS 17, iPadOS 17 or macOS 14 or later, and they must be in your contacts.
What if I want private photos behind a password?
Use a vault app that encrypts the files themselves. Hidy Vault opens with a drawn pattern, not a password, and has no Face ID unlock.
