How to hide photos on your Android phone or tablet

3 weeks ago

While modern smartphones are rather unafraid arsenic agelong arsenic they stay locked pinch a passcode aliases biometrics for illustration a fingerprint, by default those features only protect nan beforehand door. If personification picks up your telephone while it's unlocked, location aren't typically immoderate barriers that will support them retired of exploring everything from your contacts and emails to your photos.

This tin beryllium peculiarly challenging erstwhile it comes to photos, since those are nan things we for illustration to show disconnected nan astir from our phones. We've apt each had those moments erstwhile we want to show a friend aliases co-worker a funny feline meme, truthful we manus complete our telephone and spot that they won't swipe correct and spot nan photograph of nan hairy mole that we sent to our expert that morning.

While avoiding letting different group touch your telephone is 1 solution, nan bully news is there's an moreover amended measurement to guarantee that your really individual photos enactment private. Thankfully, Google and Samsung some cognize this, truthful they've provided a measurement to hide pictures moreover deeper successful their respective photos apps to make judge that you're nan only 1 who gets to spot them.

Google Photos connected Pixel 6 showing Locked Folder options.

How to hide photos connected your Android phone

Most modern Android phones now travel pinch Google Photos preinstalled, and for those that don't, it's a speedy and easy download from nan Play Store. It's 1 of nan champion photograph apps for your Android phone, peculiarly since you tin return advantage of nan Google unreality retention you're apt already paying for to grip your Gmail messages and Google Drive files.

Two years ago, Google added a Locked Folder characteristic to Google Photos to support your astir individual photos stashed distant and retired of view, stored only connected your section device. More precocious it's expanded that to sync this locked files securely to Google Photos connected nan web, and moreover complete to Google Photos connected Apple devices. This is still rolling retired arsenic of this writing, truthful it whitethorn not beryllium disposable connected your relationship conscionable yet. If that's nan case, conscionable beryllium alert that until it does show up, photos successful your Locked Folder will beryllium moved retired of Google Photos successful nan unreality and stored only connected your device; they'll beryllium deleted if you uninstall Google Photos, and won't beryllium moved automatically if you move to a caller device.

Before we continue, it's worthy noting that your Locked Folder shares nan aforesaid authentication method arsenic your main instrumentality fastener screen, truthful it won't thief you hide photos from anybody who tin unlock your instrumentality — nan aforesaid passcode aliases fingerprints tin unlocked nan Locked Folder conscionable arsenic easy arsenic they tin unlock your phone.

Step 1: Install nan Google Photos app from nan Play Store if it's not already connected your device.

Step 2: Open nan Google Photos app.

Step 3: Select Library from nan bottommost correct corner.

Step 4: Select Utilities from nan options astatine nan top.

Set up Locked Folder punctual successful Google Photos connected Pixel 6.

Step 5: Choose Get started nether "Set up Locked Folder" if nan banner appears. Otherwise, scroll down and prime Locked Folder.

Step 6: Select nan Set up button.

Step 7: Follow nan instructions to authenticate pinch your fingerprint aliases passcode.

Step 8: If your Locked Folder is empty, you'll beryllium shown a surface that says there's "Nothing present yet." Choose nan Move items fastener to prime items from your main photograph room and move them to your locked folder.

Moving photos to Locked Folder connected Google Pixel 6.

Step 9: If you already person photos successful your Locked Folder, you'll spot them displayed here. You tin prime nan adhd photos fastener adjacent nan top-right area of nan surface to adhd further photos to your Locked Folder. Alternatively, you tin besides move photos to nan Locked Folder by selecting them from nan main assemblage and choosing Move to Locked Folder from nan options paper that comes up.

Step 10: If you want to securely backmost up nan photos successful your Locked Folder, you tin move this connected by selecting your floor plan pictures successful nan top-right area of nan Google Photos app and choosing Photos settings > Backup > Back up Locked Folder. Note that Google only began rolling retired this characteristic connected August 29, 2023, truthful it whitethorn not beryllium disposable for everyone conscionable yet.

Step 11: To entree nan photos successful your Locked Folder successful nan future, conscionable unfastened nan Google Photos app, prime Library > Utilities > Locked Folder and authenticate utilizing your fingerprint aliases passcode.

Note that to protect your privateness and security, Android will not let you to capture screenshots wrong nan Locked Folder. Any screenshots you effort to return pinch nan Locked Folder unfastened will merchandise a blank achromatic image. This is expected behavior.

The screens connected nan Galaxy A54 and Galaxy S23 Ultra.

How to hide photos connected a Samsung phone

While you tin instal Google Photos connected a Samsung smartphone conscionable arsenic easy arsenic you tin connected immoderate different Android device, galore Samsung folks for illustration to usage Samsung's Gallery app, which is understandable arsenic it's a awesome prime for those toting a Galaxy S23 Ultra, aliases Galaxy Z Flip 5 pinch their unsocial camera features.

Thankfully, Samsung fans besides person a measurement to hide their individual photos successful nan Samsung Gallery app, utilizing Samsung's Secure Folder feature.

Step 1: First, you'll request to enable Secure Folder if you haven't already done so. This tin beryllium recovered nether Settings > Biometrics and security > Secure folder. You'll request to motion successful pinch your Samsung relationship and take a preferred fastener method to protect your unafraid folder.

Step 2: Next, motorboat nan Samsung Gallery app connected your phone.

Setting up nan Secure Folder characteristic for hiding photos connected a Samsung phone.

Step 3: Select Pictures from nan paper barroom astatine nan bottommost to show each of your photos aliases Albums if you would for illustration to prime photos from a circumstantial album. You tin besides take to move an full medium to your Secure Folder.

Step 4: Once you're looking astatine nan photo(s) you want to hide, prime nan three-dot fastener successful nan top-right area and prime Edit from nan pop-up paper that appears. Alternatively, you tin besides participate edit mode by pressing and holding connected nan first photo, video, aliases medium that you would for illustration to hide.

Step 5: Select nan photos aliases videos that you would for illustration to move to your Secure Folder. You tin besides prime an full medium from nan Albums view.

Step 6: Select nan More fastener astatine nan bottom.

Step 7: Choose Move to Secure Folder and participate your PIN aliases authenticate pinch your fingerprint erstwhile prompted.

Note that since nan Secure Folder is simply a separate, encrypted retention area, it whitethorn return immoderate clip to move your items to nan Secure Folder. You tin cheque connected nan advancement of this by swiping down from nan apical of nan surface to cheque your notifications.

Step 8: Once nan move is complete, nan selected items should vanish from your main Samsung Gallery app. To position them, you'll request to unfastened nan Secure Folder app connected your telephone and unfastened nan Samsung Gallery from there.

Be alert that items successful your Secure Folder are not backed up aliases synchronized to immoderate unreality services. Although Samsung antecedently allowed users to backmost up Secure Folder contents to Samsung Cloud, that was discontinued successful early 2021. Secure Folder tin beryllium transferred to a caller Samsung telephone utilizing Smart Switch if you're moving One UI 5 aliases later, but we'd powerfully urge making a abstracted backup of your photos successful immoderate different backstage location earlier moving them into your Secure Folder, since information stored successful this area whitethorn not beryllium recoverable if thing happens to your phone.